Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher has accused the separatists of mounting a coup.

Aden serves as a temporary base of the Hadi government, with Houthi rebels controlling the capital Sanaa.

The development further complicates an already dire situation in Yemen, where millions need aid.

What’s happening in Aden?

The modern state of Yemen was formed in 1990 from the merger of South Yemen and North Yemen, and separatist desires for an independent southern state have not gone away.

The separatists have been backing the government against the Houthis, but long-simmering tensions have flared in recent weeks, with the separatists accusing the government of corruption and discrimination.

Fighting broke out on Sunday after a deadline set by the separatists for Mr Hadi to dismiss Mr Dagher and his cabinet.

At least 10 people have been killed and eyewitnesses reported gunfire and explosions in several parts of the city.

The southern separatists are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is also part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis.

Prime Minister Dagher called on the “decision maker” UAE to take action, warning that the clashes would advantage the Houthis.

President Hadi, who is based in Saudi Arabia, has called for a ceasefire, but it is unclear whether the clashes have subsided.

And in the rest of the country?

The Houthis remain in control of Sanaa and territory in the north and west.

They seized the capital in 2014, prompting the Saudi-led coalition to intervene on the side of the government.

The years of conflict and a blockade imposed by the coalition have caused what the UN calls “the worst man-made humanitarian crisis of our time”.

Three quarters of Yemen’s population – 22.2 million people – need assistance, including 8.4 million people who are considered severely food insecure and at risk of starvation.

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Source: BBC

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Speaking to the media on Wednesday after she appeared before Parliament, she said the government was actively exploring the possibility of sending the two Yemeni nationals to another country.

[contextly_sidebar id=”5A1fcawZtjdSgL3OuGGGpGEi3aiiMdHD”]In response to questions on the specific countries they are looking at, Madam Ayorkor Botchway said, “for security reasons, I cannot give that kind of information.”

She added that the search for a third nation to host the two Yemenis is reaping some positive results stating that “until we found out that they must consent or agree to it. Whatever option we present to them [the two former detainees], they must consent to it. That is the bottom line, because of their [refugee] status.”

The indications put forth by the Foreign Affairs Minister are consistent with the statement released at the time from the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hanna Tetteh, on January 6, 2015, when the deal to host the two was announced.

The government did not explicitly state that the former detainees would necessarily have to leave the country after the agreement expired.

The statement said the two may leave the country after the two-year period, suggesting the decision was in their hands.

“At the request of the US Government, we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released. They are unable to return to Yemen at the moment and we have indicated our readiness to accept them for a period of two years after which they may leave the country,” that statement said.

The two detainees of Yemeni nationality, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were in detention for 14 years after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda, were brought to Ghana in January 2016, for a period of two years in a deal with the United States of America.

Refugee status

Appearing before Parliament, Madam Ayorkor Botchway had revealed that the two former detainees were granted refugee status under the Mahama government in July 2016, thus, the current government was constrained from exploring any further options for their transfer, and will await an in-depth examination of the matter by the appropriate agencies.

Yemen, their home country, has been engulfed in an intense civil war for the past two years with fighting between pro-government forces led by the current President, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and anti-government forces led by the Houthis, who are backed by former President Ali Abed Allah Saleh, who had ruled for 33 years.

Madam Ayorkor Botchway stressed to the media that the government was still consulting on the matter, adding that “we will examine what we get from other agencies and I think that is key… For now, we are saying that our hands are tied because they have been granted a legal status for them to stay here.”

Hosting Gitmo two bad deal but…

Giving her view on the matter as a whole, Madam Ayorkor Botchway said: “I think it was not a good deal and it is evident from the sentiments that have been expressed by Ghanaians and they continue to express the fact that they are not comfortable that the two were accepted and they live with us.”

“On the other hand, the reports I have been given are that, they are of good behaviour, they haven’t been engaged in anything untoward and therefore, judging on that basis, you can say that there is no need for us to be concerned,” she added.

Background

The move to host the two in the country was criticized by many observers including the then-in-opposition New Patriotic Party, who described the two as a security threat despite assurances to the contrary by the US.

Two citizens; Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, further sued the former Attorney General and the Minister of Interior contending that the two were being hosted illegally.

The two were justified by the Supreme Court, which declared as unconstitutional, the agreement between the Mahama government and the United States.

The apex court ordered the government to send the agreement to Parliament for ratification or have the two detainees sent back to the US.

According to the judgment, the government needed the approval of Parliament before entering into any international agreement, just as in the case of the two detainees.

When the matter came up for discussion in Parliament, the House was informed that the agreement was reached under a note verbale and Memorandum of Understanding.

A note verbale is a piece of diplomatic correspondence prepared in the third person and unsigned. Parliament subsequently ratified the agreement for the two for detainees to be in the country.

Return GITMO 2 now – Antwi Danso to gov’t

An International relations analyst, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso, wants government to take immediate steps to return the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees  to where ever they came from.

“They were given two years to stay in Ghana, and the two years have elapsed, what next. And for me they have to leave the country. They must be made to leave by the tenets of the agreement. And agreement tells how its termination can be. So I don’t see why this thing cannot be done, because if they are not made to leave, the security implications are dire,” he told Umaru Sanda on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News on Tuesday.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The two detainees, Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were in detention for 14 years after being linked with terrorist group Al-Qaeda, were brought to Ghana in 2016, for a period of two years.

[contextly_sidebar id=”gTD8TFI3eWRAiedW8KHzZ4tjO1ql8pcS”]They were released as part of efforts to close down the US-operated Guantanamo Bay prison, which is known to have had a questionable human rights record over the years.

The move was criticized by many observers including the then-in-opposition New Patriotic Party, who described the two as a security threat despite assurances to the contrary by the US.

Two citizens; Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye, further sued the former Attorney General and the Minister of Interior contending that the two were being hosted illegally.

The two were justified by the Supreme Court, which declared as unconstitutional the agreement between the Mahama government and the United States.

The apex court ordered the government to send the agreement to Parliament for ratification or have the two detainees sent back to the US.

According to the judgment, the Mahama government needed the approval of Parliament before entering into any international agreement, just as in the case of the two detainees.

When the matter came up for discussion in Parliament, the House was informed that the agreement that was reached under a note verbale and Memorandum of Understanding.

A note verbale is a piece of diplomatic correspondence prepared in the third person and unsigned.

Indications are that the two governments opted for a less formal mode of communication and agreement because of security considerations.

The President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, who was briefed ahead of Ghana’s decision to host two former Guantanamo Bay detainees said he felt the processes leading up to the move were necessary, despite their hosting being declared illegal.

A former Member of Parliament George Loh, who during his time Parliament, was privy to sensitive information on the matter, noted that due diligence, security-wise, was done on the matter and key stakeholders were briefed ahead of the transfer of the two Yemen nationals.

Mr. Loh continued to explain on a Citi News platform that, “some of the things are so security sensitive that you cannot come and run your mouth in the public domain. A lot of the things are done at a security level. American security will not put anything in writing and send formally for somebody to intercept and put out there.”

When the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, indicated in Parliament that Akufo-Addo administration had not altered the formal agreement between Ghana and the United States over the two, she had essentially confirmed that, the January 6, 2018, expiry date remained.

“Mr. Speaker, we have not changed anything. In the note verbale that were exchanged between the two countries. Indeed there was no agreement. The whole transaction was done through what we call a note verbale from both sides. What we have done is to attach all those documents.”

Possible stay after expiry

Per the statement released at the time from the then-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hanna Tetteh, on January 6, 2015, the government did not explicitly state that the former detainees would necessarily have to leave the country after the agreement expired.

The statement said the two may leave the country after the two year period, suggesting the decision was in their hands.

“At the request of the US Government, we have also agreed to accept two detainees of Yemeni origin who were detained in Guantanamo but who have been cleared of any involvement in any terrorist activities and are being released. They are unable to return to Yemen at the moment and we have indicated our readiness to accept them for a period of two years after which they may leave the country,” the statement said.

During their two year stay under the agreement, the US are said to have provided about $300,000 for the two Yemeni’s upkeep, which comes to about GHc 1,362,000.

In 2017, it emerged that Bin Atef had gotten married during his short stay in the country. Bin Atef’s wife, Haia, is a Yemeni national, and they are believed to have gotten married sometime in March 2017, according to his lawyer.

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Each day there are more than 5,000 new cases of the waterborne disease, which causes acute diarrhoea and dehydration, in the country where the health system has collapsed after more than two years of war, it said.

“The total number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen this year hit the half a million mark on Sunday, and nearly 2,000 people have died since the outbreak began to spread rapidly at the end of April,” the WHO said in a statement on Monday.

“The spread of cholera has slowed significantly in some areas compared to peak levels but the disease is still spreading fast in more recently affected districts, which are recording large numbers of cases,” it said, reporting a total of 503,484 cases.

The disease, spread by ingestion of food or water tainted with human faeces, can kill within hours if untreated. It has been largely eradicated in developed countries equipped with sanitation systems and water treatment.

But Yemen’s devastating civil war, pitting a Saudi-led military coalition against the Iran-backed armed Houthi group, and economic collapse has made it extremely difficult to deal with catastrophes such as cholera and mass hunger.

Millions of Yemenis remain cut off from clean water and waste collection has ceased in major cities, the WHO added.

Yemen’s 30,000 critical health workers have not been paid salaries in nearly a year and critical medicines are lacking, the WHO said.

“These doctors and nurses are the backbone of the health response – without them we can do nothing in Yemen. They must be paid their wages so that they can continue to save lives,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

WHO and partners are working around the clock to set up cholera treatment clinics, rehabilitate health facilities, deliver medical supplies and support the national effort, the United Nations agency said.

More than 99 percent of patients who reach health facilities survive but children and the elderly are most vulnerable.

“The response is working in some places. We can tell you that surveillance confirms a decline in suspected cases over the past four weeks in some of the most affected governorates,” WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told a news briefing last Friday.

“Most notably Sanaa city, Hajja and Amran are consistent with his decline. But in many other districts, cases and deaths persist and are on the rise.”

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Source: Reuters

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Eight women and eight children were among those killed in the dawn raid in Yakla district, in the central province of Baida, said the provincial official, who did not want to be named, and tribal sources.

Sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to Al-Qaeda.

The provincial official said Apache helicopters also struck a school, a mosque and a medical facility which were all used by Al-Qaeda militants.

Other sources spoke of US commandos taking part in the operation, but it was not possible to verify the information.

The three prominent tribal figures killed in the attack were identified as brothers Abdulraouf and Sultan al-Zahab and Saif Alawai al-Jawfi, the official and other sources said.

They were known for their strong links to Al-Qaeda, the sources said.

The Zahab brothers have two other Al-Qaeda brothers who were also killed in the past by drone strikes.

An Al-Qaeda chief in the region, who was identified as foreigner Abu Barazan, was also killed in the attack, the official said.

The military operation is the first to be attributed to the United States against jihadists in Yemen since Trump took office on January 20.

Under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama, the United States stepped up its use of drone strikes against suspected jihadists in Yemen, as well as other countries including Afghanistan.

The United States considers the extremist group’s Yemen-based franchise, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to be its most dangerous.

Although it only sporadically reports on a long-running bombing campaign against AQAP, it is the only force known to be operating drones over Yemen.

On January 14, the Pentagon announced the killing of a senior Al-Qaeda operative in Baida the week before in an air strike.

Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State jihadist group have exploited a power vacuum created by the two-year-old conflict in Yemen between the government and Shiite Huthi rebels, especially in the country’s south and southeast.

Baida province is mostly controlled by the Huthis, but Yakla is ruled by the tribes, and has at least two training bases for Al-Qaeda, local sources said.

Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have mounted offensives against jihadists in the south, but the militants remain active in several areas.

The conflict in Yemen has killed more than 7,400 people since a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened to support Hadi in March 2015, according to the World Health Organization.

But UN humanitarian coordinator Jamie McGoldrick said last week that as many as 10,000 civilians may have died.

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Source: AFP

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