01/16/17 – Nasser Arrabyee gives an update on the US-backed Saudi war in Yemen – The Scott Horton Show

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All right, you guys welcome the show.
I'm Scott Horton It's the Scott Horton show check out the archives at Scott Horton org the new and improved Scott Horton org Now HTTPS and everything new and improved Scott Horton org all the archives there 4,000 something interviews going back to 2003 for you There send me emails about bugs if you find them and of course Libertarian Institute Libertarian.org, that's where we got it going on now Libertarian Institute org me will Greg Sheldon Richmond and Jerry LaBelle there follow me on Twitter at Scott Horton show Okay, introducing our friend Nasser Araby.
He's a journalist from and based out of Sana Yemen and He's written in the past for the Carnegie Endowment website and a couple other Western sources and he has his own News organization in Yemen.
It's called Yemen now.
Yeah Yemen now.
It's Yemen alon alan Yemen dash alon dot-com and Very happy to welcome him back to the show.
Hi Nasser.
How are you, sir?
Thank you very much Thank you very much for having me Appreciate you Okay, so we're at I think 22 months now almost two solid years of American-backed Saudi air war against Well the government the new government and the people of Yemen So I guess the the first thing is first here.
Can you please describe for us if you could?
And take as much time as you need to What what would you have the people especially of the United States understand about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen now how many people have been killed how many wounded how many going hungry these kinds of things?
What I want to start with is to tell your audience that it's It's a catastrophic.
It's Very catastrophic situation here in terms of humanitarian things because of this US-backed Saudi aggression because especially Saudi Arabia from the very beginning focused on how to Use Economic and humanitarian things as a tool to To impose what Saudi wanted here in Yemen and This is why it is catastrophic Again Over 60,000 Civilians were killed now over 60,000 I am one of the most important observer from the very beginning of this war for every massacre everything in Yemen killed everywhere from the very beginning in addition to our army of Yemenis of course and in view But the problem is that when I'm saying now 60,000 Yemeni or civilian Yemeni civilians were killed Many people all over the world inside Yemen and outside Yemen would say no UN is saying 10,000 I Would kill them and I would kill everybody like I told today the UN chief UN chief in Yemen Jimmy Michael Drake, I told him today and I posted a tweet you can see it in a video I told him today about this number.
I Told him I Just reminded him when he and his staff bought this number one year ago.
I Told him in his office today and it is now a video you can see it and your Audience can see it in my Twitter now What he said, what did he say?
He just said that more than 50% of his Facilities in Yemen are destroyed and not Functioning anymore.
So we don't have any documents and we can't we can't have we can't We can't document we can't have any Nobody can give us any statistics or documents so This is the reason that UN is saying today Why they don't have new or updated statistics of the Yemenis who were killed They said no Facilities functioning anymore I'm sorry Let me let me stop you for just a second.
I'm sorry.
I just couldn't understand what you said I just needed to turn you up at the time.
I missed exactly what you said.
What is the source for the 60,000?
How do you know that it's 60,000?
Yes The thought I have is from the local group and from my From my observation as Yemeni and the journalist and as I told you I counted I Observed all massacre.
So we have a rough number or a figure of 60,000 civilians who were killed so far Including including those who died of illness and hunger because of this Aggression if you can see the video the UN chief Agreed with me.
He didn't disagree He didn't say anything, but he said we can't do anything because we don't have document But he said he knows that the number he said is very silly and that the number they are The media is using now is very very very low than the then the then the reality Everybody knows it.
So me not local Human rights groups and many local groups here.
They have even more than 60 But they just bought the things who were injured also to say about 60 65 and 70 Between 60 to 70 thousand They are different in these numbers the local the local group UN But this number is one year ago.
It's enough for you It's enough as an evidence that this number is very old not updated and the UN chief told me today that The facility the healing facilities are not functioning to determine any any new numbers or any new casualties since one year Yeah, well and now it's Sure.
Well, it's been almost two full years of war About About Homeless about 20 million of 30 About 20 million, but in two-thirds of the Yemeni are food insecure now food insecure If you if you want to give you if you want me to give you an example what I mean by this The Blockade Make this problem because Yemen in boss about 90% of its food from outside Yemen And now it's a blockade.
It's located now from air from sea and from the land by Saudi Arabia Humanitarian Yeah, well and now I wanted to point out for people who are new to this topic that here we are almost two years We're 22 months Into this air war and really there had been conflict going on.
Of course before the Saudis started bombing even but at the time all the human rights groups said that this is the poorest country in the Middle East and that They're come almost entirely dependent on imports for their food resources here 80 to 90 percent of their food before was traded in from abroad and all of this has been disrupted and of course people adapt somewhat but At the same time to even Oxfam and them are saying people are starving Yes Even now in the south and north Did not have salaries for six months now People who are in the north and who are in the south who are under?
Saudi back Appointed Saudi appointed prison in Hadi They didn't have their salaries as well because of the problem of the Central Bank They Dismantled the bank and now it is not functioning anymore And the people are without salary right and now Well, let me ask you this is is any food or you know relief getting through at all because they've said that they Relaxed the blockade and that now their humanitarian groups can can bring in food.
Is that working at all?
There are many Attempts, there are many successful attempts from the Relief organizations UN or others.
We are doing some some good jobs.
Yes, but it is not enough You know, they they they risk their lives and they help but it's not enough at all we you we can see here what is happening here in Canada and They can go to every place and every single man or woman and the help but they are But it is very short it is it is not enough at all at all because as I told you it is Systematic it is a it is something done deliberately by Saudi Arabia to And make Yemeni kneel down to make Yemeni surrender which will not happen, of course, I will tell you later about the military and the liberation of all these things but This is what Saudi wanted to do.
They want to say, okay now we want Surrender.
No, the Yemeni will not at all surrender.
They get stronger and stronger In terms of fighting, of course in terms of fighting Yeah, well, yeah, so tell me about the ground war and the air war I guess is specifically in the south of the country now that the so-called government the Hadi government backed by Saudi and America is Based out of Aden still, right?
Yes, and how much territory do they control around the port city of Aden there?
In the south, which is the south of the country Is about Let me say 50% Let me say 50% 50% south 50% north And they control only Aden And Aden is not secure even for Brazil and Thailand Not only this Even in the south The south now is under their name, you know, they are they take control over them in a way or another right, but they don't serve people, they don't do anything Who and in the Qaeda and ISIS is the one who provides the social services like?education like health like Food and other things Hadi does not do anything At all the most dangerous problem and the evidence for this is that Hadi could not even the day's salary for the people although He received now about 200 billion about 200 billion Yemeni Riyals, of course as a cash New printed cash from from Russia.
So they but he could not until now they Salaries for the for the government employee because of the data the data the central data and the central Document the central bank documents are still here in power.
It is not easy to Get to People money and you don't have the documents and you have that you don't have the payrolls on these things So it is difficult even for had the Salary for the people.
This is why it is difficult well, and there have been some reports that the UAE and Saudi forces have been battling against al-qaeda now, of course Overall, they're fighting against the Houthis who are also al-qaeda's enemies But is it true that the Saudi forces have been fighting against the jihadist to?
Had he had only Had he has only Al-qaeda and ISIS leaders who have Who are these allies?
He don't have any other allies than then when the Islamic the Brotherhood Party That most of its leaders are tied to ISIS and they are in in Riyadh and they are blacklisted by us Triggery department and I mentioned many times to seven of them seven of them are blacklisted by you if Gregory department and global terrorist and Violent people are People who are around had in Riyadh and in England and they are Leading their people in the ground and their people on the ground are two different groups for one brotherhood and one Salafi the Salafi ones are under a nice and Emerged and the brotherhood is under Saudi Arabia under Hadi and Saudi Arabia and they are fighting in these in all these cities that they control now in case in the city and in agent and in some other cities in how they look like mukalla or say on so they are fighting with each other and Unfortunately, they could not the clashes don't stop even one day.
For example, even witness clashes for the five for the last five days Day by day Why?
They say or that even say that You know, so there is no one leadership Unfortunately, they are fighting with each other Right now You know, it seems kind of strange even after two years of war here, doesn't it that the Houthis?
Who never they've never controlled the capital city the the Zaydi Shia from up in the north?
But they're still fighting with each other Control the capital city the the Zaydi Shia from up in the north before But now it seems like they have a pretty solid hold on the capital But that's what this whole thing is about Right is that the Saudis can't stand it that the Houthis control the capital city and that's why they launched the war is there any way to negotiate that so that the the Saudis could be placated or the Houthis could share power with Some other faction or something that where we're both sides could come to an agreement The most important one is the So They're open to anyone and unfortunately, Saudi Arabia does not even want to To to to recognize with them with what they are doing although they know that the people the the ambassadors the ambassadors of all the states that sponsor this this UN these talks if we can say these ambassadors keep saying that Sana'a is the safe place for any talks.
Sana'a is the safe place for any dialogue because because they know including Syria John Kerry, he said Sana'a is the safe place for any talks for any Talking about anything if you want to He said this many times because they know that now for example, we are We have been for two years now and at least now for 16 months You we haven't seen any bombings here in Sana'a except from the from the sky the air But no problem at all.
It's uh, it's the government now.
It's uh, there is a government.
There is a presidential council there is a parliament and all the Institutions of the states are are working Working according to the law and order.
There are many people who who disagree with the war There are many people who oppose truth.
There are and there is a presidential there are strikes There are demonstrations this is So There is There is no emergency State there is law and order here in Sana'a and they saudi arabia did not Want this at all?
So they are doing everything to sabotage these uh stability and this uh And and they they um escalate the battles in about um 11 now in about 11 battles now not only in the border of saudi arabia Uh But there are now about uh about 10 more here including the coastal the lifting cost of data they want to uh, they want or they have been trying to take over the Babel number rate, which is a strategist the most important Uh straight, uh and where about four, uh, a million The gate of the red sea you're saying Yes So they they want to they tried over the last few days to uh, come from but unfortunately they were defeated and um in one day, uh, they lost About uh, 140 and 100 soldiers and about uh, 25 tanks and uh And vehicles and this was documented by the war media that everybody saw It is not just uh talking about propaganda and it was a big big defeat because they they thought that uh The the commander of the of the of the operation Killed in the first hour and you can just imagine how?
Uh, they were they were blamming in this uh in this in this party or in this big operation the first in the first hour the commander, uh Was killed the commander of the of the army of the of the operation here in babel manda Great Well, i'm, sorry.
There's so many different questions.
I want to ask you but um I guess uh, i'm really running out of time here.
Can we just can you tell me about the the blowback for saudi where the houthi forces because after all they're from the north anyway, right and You've talked about on the show before how they've invaded saudi arabia now in response and they've launched missiles And they've attacked towns on the saudi side of the border.
Is that still going on?
Um, do they mean to actually stay or they're just harassing the sounds Why because saudi arabia wants one thing one thing What is it Saudi arabia wants Yemeni yemeni fighters to withdraw from its territory from its territories in the south maghrean beijan and asir Not positions but villages and towns i'm talking about villages and towns and the yemeni fighters This is a fact since uh 16 16 months now for example City is under yemeni fighters Many other villages are under yemeni fighters.
Uh, i'm not talking about positions and strategic positions No, i'm talking about villages and uh, uh cities that That are under the yemeni fighters and those who are still under Saudi Saudi forces They are in the cities and the villages.
They are empty for 22 months now Or even before maybe even before the saudi evacuated the resident from the villages and the cities in and towns in the in the south, uh, Two weeks before it started the aggression in 26th of march 2015 so the big problem with saudi arabia is why They don't want any enemies to be in its land because this causes a big embarrassment because He's saying I I'm not living.
I'm not i'm just helping i'm just Mediating i'm there only at the request of the legitimate government and these uh, uh, Lies, uh, unfortunately, but yemeni will never Ever withdraw and they said this many times many times that they will never ever withdraw from the saudi territory Until saudi stop or until the aggression and the location and the aggression stop and the location lifted otherwise no And of course they are now they disagree on the on the guarantee Many times many months.
They are talking about the guarantee.
Saudi won't guarantee It's how you say if I stop the aggression Who would guarantee that healthy would with with withdraw?
And healthy also and his allies would say if I withdraw Who would guarantee that saudi would stop the aggression?
This is a problem.
This is the basic problem Yeah well, and I'm, sorry.
We're i'm just running so late now, sir, and I gotta go but I just want to remind everybody that Uh, the u.s has provided all of the arms for the saudis in virtually this entire thing And it's widely reported in the washington post the wall street journal the la times and everywhere else that it's u.s intelligence helping pick the targets and u.s tankers refueling their Jet fighters on their way their fighter bombers on the way on their missions and all of the rest of it So this is and as as you've said and many others have said as well Uh nasser confirming your reporting that the people of yemen blame america.
They know this is an american war They're not fooled by some plausible deniability here.
This is what barack obama has done Sure very quickly now I don't like to talk about him at all because I don't But I I want to tell your audience that he is here in in aiding today In with hadi and tomorrow he's here He he has now a plan That was bought by kerry with three points three important points the first one is Appoint new vice president and hadi will keep for months for a week without any doubt and then the national government and Surrendering the the army and Everything army and weapons and everything to this national government.
So hadi Hadi is still refusing because he doesn't want To go this is why hadi is refusing.
Uh, but because now Uh, because uh, saudi arabia is set up with hadi because he couldn't do anything to saudi arabia So hadi will be out And there will be a compromise uh vice president and the national government and then elections and Uh, then Yeah, all right, listen, i'm, sorry, I gotta cut you here, but uh, I really gotta go But thank you so much for coming back on the show.
Nasser.
I really appreciate it Okay.
Thank you very much.
All right.
So that is nasser arby reporting out of Uh sana yemen there for you and find his website at yemen Dash alon, that's al aan.com Yemen now That's scott horton show scott horton.org Libertarian institute.org twitter.com slash scott horton show.
Okay.
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