Euromediterranean:" Targeting Ras Issa port calls for immediate investigation & accountability"
The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights said that the US attack on the "Ras Issa" port in Al-Hodeida, western Yemen, is an unlawful use of force that calls for immediate investigation and accountability.
In a statement on Friday, the Observatory explained that the nature of the targeted site and the heavy casualties resulting from the attack raise serious suspicions of a war crime in accordance with the provisions of international law.
The Observatory denounced the fact that the US forces did not take any measures to protect civilians and did not notify the port administration, workers or any relevant party before carrying out the attack.
EuroMediterranean called on the competent international entities to open an immediate and independent investigation into the attack on Ras Issa port, take legal action against the perpetrators, and ensure justice for the victims and their families.
At least 74 people were martyred and 171 others were injured in a US attack on the Ras Issa oil port in western Yemen, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Health, in one of the deadliest attacks since the start of US strikes against civilians in Yemen.
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Saba Yemen
3 hours ago
- Saba Yemen
Development of small & micro enterprises… Significant achievements in first half of 2025
Sana'a - Saba: The General Authority for the Development of Small and Micro Enterprises implemented numerous projects and achieved many accomplishments during the first half of 2025, making a tangible difference in the lives of thousands of Yemeni families. The Authority's Chairman, Ahmed Al-Kubsi, stated that through the projects carried out from January to June this year, in cooperation with several supporting entities, the Authority was able to create sustainable job opportunities for youth and women, support local production in vital sectors such as agriculture, livestock, food and textile industries, and revive traditional crafts such as leather production. It also provided affordable financing for entrepreneurial initiatives in both urban and rural areas. In a press interview with the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), he affirmed that the Authority's achievements reflect its commitment to its mission, vision, and objectives in empowering local communities, developing small-scale economies, and laying the foundation for projects that contribute to achieving sustainable development goals in the long term, in line with the directives of the revolutionary leadership and the Supreme Political Council. Following is the full interview: Saba: What has the Authority achieved during the first half of this year? Al-Kubsi: The first half of 2025 witnessed intensive activity by the Authority, including the implementation of numerous development projects across several governorates, serving low-income families and small entrepreneurs. These projects covered a variety of fields, including supporting value chains in vital sectors, economic empowerment initiatives for the most vulnerable groups, training, qualification, and capacity-building programs, as well as microfinance projects and planning studies. Collectively, they contributed to improving the livelihoods of thousands of families and boosting local development. Saba: Regarding value chains, which sectors are you working on and how were they selected? Al-Kubsi: Most of the value chains in which the Authority intervened were approved as urgent priorities by the National Committee for Economic Empowerment, which includes several ministers and is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister , Minister of Local Administration and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammed Al-Madani. This committee approved 42 value chains, the most important of which are six that we are currently working on, in line with the government's policy to prioritize these chains as a matter of national importance. The six value chains we are working on are in the productive sectors and include dairy, sesame, palm, cotton, leather, and fish. Saba: What projects have been implemented in relation to the value chains in the productive sectors you are working on? Al-Kubsi: There are several projects implemented within the six sectors we are focusing on. In the dairy sector, the Authority carried out a comprehensive survey of the dairy producers' community in the districts of Al-Hodeidah Governorate, aiming to build an integrated database on dairy production in the governorate. The survey targeted 13,417 local dairy producers. The survey resulted in the collection of accurate data on farmers, production methods, and the challenges they face, paving the way for effective future interventions in the dairy value chain. In the sesame sector, the Authority documented and studied sesame oil presses along the Tihama coast in the governorates of Hajjah and Al-Hodeidah, targeting 180 sesame oil producers. The aim was to create databases of small projects working in this field and analyze them to develop recommendations that support their growth. Later, the scope of this project was expanded to include a survey of date molasses production facilities in Tihama to support the palm value chain. As for the palm sector, work is currently underway to install 25 solar power systems for 25 palm farmers in Al-Tuhita District, Al-Hodeidah Governorate, funded by the General Authority for Zakat, with the aim of operating irrigation wells and thus reviving 375 maads of palm-cultivated land. As part of the project, an additional component was introduced to distribute cows to 25 farmers among the most affected by the brutal aggression, as complementary support in the form of interest-free loans to help restore agricultural activity and boost the productivity of small-scale farmers. The Authority also implemented a plan to revive palm cultivation in Bayt al-Faqih District, Al-Hodeidah Governorate, in cooperation with the General Authority for Zakat, as part of its efforts to support date producers and enhance the palm value chain. The project aimed to enable about 50 affected farmers to reclaim approximately 750 ma'ad of farmland damaged by the aggression against the country. The General Authority for Zakat was provided with a list of 1,400 date farmers for data analysis according to its mechanisms to identify those eligible for support under this project. In the cotton sector, the Authority launched a project to empower 100 productive families in the Ma'ain, Al-Thawra, and Bani Al-Harith districts of the Capital Secretariat to design and produce cotton garments, including children's underwear, men's clothing, and home cotton products. The project, funded by the Agricultural and Fisheries Projects and Initiatives Financing Unit in the Capital Secretariat, runs until 2026 and aims to improve the design and tailoring skills of these families. Two implementing partners have been contracted, and trainees were selected based on strict criteria. Training began with 30 women as lead trainers who will later train the remaining targeted families. Coordination was carried out with the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Investment, as well as the Textile Union and traders, to integrate the families' products into the local market. In the past period, the first phase of training was completed, qualifying 30 women as trainers and starting the training of the other beneficiaries. The total number of targeted families is 500, and the Authority has future plans to establish dedicated production facilities for them. This project will strengthen the cotton value chain by economically empowering women and localizing the production of underwear in the country. In the leather sector, the Authority, in cooperation with the Agricultural and Fisheries Projects and Initiatives Financing Unit in the Capital Secretariat, issued a comprehensive technical guide on quality and natural leather processing to support the leather value chain. The guide outlines leather types and processing methods during manufacturing, serving as a reference for empowerment programs in the leather industry. The Authority also studied imported leather products and the stages of local production to define quality standards for each stage. The guide's content is currently about 50% complete and under review by experts and specialists before its final release. It is expected to improve leather industry projects by enhancing the quality of local products and their competitiveness against imported goods. In this context, the Authority implemented a training project for numerous families on leather industries in cooperation with the General Administration for Handicrafts and Artisanal Works at the Ministry of Culture. In the fisheries sector, the Authority focused on supporting low-income fishermen in Al-Hodeidah Governorate by improving their access to financing and services. The Authority financed a lending portfolio for the Fishermen's Association in Al-Hodeidah worth 50 million riyals, in cooperation with the General Authority for Zakat, with the aim of providing interest-free loans to fishermen to improve their production capacity. By mid-2025, 150 fishermen had benefited from this portfolio, obtaining operational loans to purchase the necessary equipment under the supervision and follow-up of the Authority. The Fishermen's Association also received training on lending models and portfolio management to ensure sustainability. Work is currently underway to expand support by opening a new financing portfolio for fishermen in remote areas that lack access to traditional banking services, while continuing to monitor loan performance to increase the number of beneficiaries. In parallel, the Authority is working to establish 58 fish sales points in Al-Hodeidah City, to be managed by low-income youth. This will directly create job opportunities for young people and improve the local marketing of fish products. Saba: And what about economic empowerment and livelihood improvement projects? Al-Kubsi: The Authority has adopted economic empowerment and livelihood improvement projects that fall under value chain support in productive sectors. In cooperation with the General Authority for Zakat, the Authority focused on economic empowerment projects targeting poor and low-income families by providing interest-free loans and in-kind financing to help them launch their own income-generating projects in agriculture and livestock. One of the most prominent projects is the Livestock Breeding and Dairy Production Support Project, which aimed to improve the living standards of 269 poor families in Al-Hodeidah Governorate by providing them with interest-free loans to finance dairy cattle breeding and milk production projects. This four-year project (2025–2028), funded by the General Authority for Zakat and supervised by the Small and Micro Enterprise Development Authority, also included signing partnership agreements with local associations and conducting a feasibility study for each beneficiary individually. During the first half of 2025, dairy cows were distributed to 231 beneficiaries to launch milk production. The positive results of this project began to appear early, with 118 of the distributed cows giving birth to calves, and families starting to produce milk and sell it to local factories, which significantly increased their income. The Authority is currently assessing the project's impact on the local community, and a decrease in livestock mortality has been observed thanks to the veterinary care provided. This project is indeed a successful model of partnership between the Small and Micro Enterprise Development Authority and the General Authority for Zakat in empowering livestock breeders and enhancing local food production. The second project is the Livelihood Improvement Project for poor families in Ibb Governorate, targeting 100 low-income families in the Mazariqah area of Hazm Al-Udayn District as part of economic empowerment efforts in poor rural areas. Funded by the General Authority for Zakat, the project will continue until 2027 and aims to provide interest-free loans to finance goat breeding and livestock production activities, in addition to providing technical training for beneficiaries. In the first phase of this project, all families in the Mazariqah area were surveyed and eligible households were selected. The project also trained the local Hazm Association team on operational models, including the training of 10 animal health workers and 10 loan officers in the association to provide on-site support to beneficiaries. Dozens of families were also provided with sheep and goats to establish small-scale dairy and meat production projects. In the first phase, 900 goats were distributed to about 60 of the poorest beneficiaries, with 20 goats allocated to each of 20 families as the first batch, followed by subsequent batches amounting to hundreds more goats. In addition, the Authority supported the establishment of a fully equipped veterinary clinic and a quarantine facility for the association to care for livestock. Individual feasibility studies were conducted for each small project for the beneficiary families. This initiative is expected to help improve the income of rural families in Al-Mazarqa by establishing sustainable livestock-raising activities, with continued technical follow-up to ensure the success of the projects and the recovery of revolving funds. As for the third project, it is the establishment of a cooperative dairy plant in Abs District, Hajjah Governorate, as part of efforts to support the dairy value chain and empower producers. This project included providing an interest-free loan to one of the cooperative associations in Abs District to establish a dairy processing plant to serve cattle breeders in the area. The project will benefit around 1,000 dairy producers in Abs by providing a center for collecting and processing their products. The plant is expected to help improve the quality of local dairy products and create an integrated value chain from production to processing and marketing in Hajjah Governorate. There are also additional empowerment initiatives implemented by the Authority in Al-Hodeidah in cooperation with the General Authority for Zakat, including a project to provide solar power systems for 25 farmers in Al-Tuhaita District to operate irrigation wells and revive 375 ma'ad of agricultural land. Contracts were signed with Al-Balda Al-Tayyiba Association in Al-Tuhaita, and 50% of the system costs have been delivered. Contracts have also been initiated with solar energy suppliers for installation, which is expected to be completed within the current month of Safar. An additional component of livestock distribution was added to this project for some farmers due to their difficult circumstances, with 25 beneficiaries in the district receiving livestock as supplementary support to help restore agricultural activity in affected areas and improve the productivity of small-scale farmers. Saba: What about the projects related to training, qualification, and capacity building programs? Al-Kubsi: The Authority has given great attention to the qualification of local cadres and productive families through professional training programs to improve their efficiency in production and small industries, which helps create job opportunities and improve the quality of local products. In this regard, many training courses and programs were implemented during the first half of 2025, the most notable of which were: A training program on commercial cheese production in the Capital Secretariat targeting associations and local community organizations. The program trained 48 female participants from associations, graduates of the Food Science Department, and graduates of the Faculty of Agriculture at Sana'a University on cheese-making methods, with the aim of enabling them to produce high-quality cheese that competes with imported products and contributes to enhancing local food security. A training course in leather product manufacturing targeting 21 women from productive families in Wadi Ahmed neighborhood, Bani Al-Harith District, in the Capital Secretariat. The trainees received comprehensive practical training on making leather bags, and each beneficiary was provided with a complete equipment kit to start her own project. A handicraft training program for producing traditional leather items targeting 23 unemployed youth in Sana'a, focusing on reviving the traditional craft of 'Kurok,' one of the heritage leather products. The program aimed to create job opportunities for youth while supporting the leather value chain, revitalizing traditional crafts, and integrating young people into the handicraft market. A training and qualification program in the textile industry in Dhamar and Sana'a. In Dhamar, an advanced industrial sewing techniques program was implemented targeting 45 productive families in the Sanban area of Dhamar Governorate. The program aimed to improve the quality of home sewing products to compete with imported ones and to help establish a cooperative workshop for these families. "I should also mention that in parallel with this program, we followed up on the project to empower productive families in Sana'a to produce cotton garments, which I mentioned earlier, to ensure the project reaches its ultimate goal of training up to 500 families in locally producing cotton clothing." Moreover, the Authority sought to instill a culture of entrepreneurship and home-based production among a wide segment of female students, which will, in the future, enhance the role of women and youth in economic development. In this regard, the Authority, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, implemented an awareness and guidance campaign in the field of food industries. The campaign targeted raising awareness among 26,000 students in summer schools in the Capital Secretariat about industrial awareness, the basics of home food processing, and managing small projects in this field. SABA: What projects have you implemented in relation to microfinance programs and lending portfolios? Al-Kubsi: The Authority has been keen to provide sustainable financing solutions for micro and small enterprises by establishing a number of revolving lending portfolios in various regions. The concept of these portfolios is based on granting small, interest-free loans to entrepreneurs, with the repaid amounts being continuously re-lent to new loan applicants. This ensures the sustainability of the capital in serving the community. Among the most notable of these portfolios is the Bani Al-Harith – Wadi Ahmed Portfolio in the Capital Secretariat, through which the Authority provided loans to 35 productive families. This portfolio proved effective as repayment and lending operations remained regular, prompting the Authority to increase its capital by adding 1.5 million riyals to meet the growing demand. The Authority is currently studying the expansion of this experience by establishing ten new portfolios in Bani Al-Harith, given its success. This portfolio is financed and managed by the General Authority for the Development of Small and Micro Enterprises. Other lending portfolios have also been launched, such as the Al-Thawrah District Portfolio in the Capital Secretariat, which served 35 productive families; the Bani Hashish District Portfolio in Sana'a Governorate, which served 14 families; and a special portfolio for orphans at the Orphan Foundation in the Capital Secretariat, benefiting four orphan beneficiaries. At the governorate level, a lending portfolio was launched in Dhamar City, benefiting 29 small business owners, in addition to a portfolio in Abs City, Hajjah Governorate, serving 24 productive families. A special portfolio was also established for fishermen in Al-Hodeidah Governorate, benefiting around 150 fishermen with operational loans as of June 2025. All these lending portfolios are funded by the Authority and managed in partnership with local authorities, and they record good repayment and operational rates, with funds being regularly recycled to reach new beneficiaries. SABA: And what has the Authority accomplished in terms of studies, research, and feasibility studies? Al-Kubsi: The General Authority for the Development of Small and Micro Enterprises has adopted a policy of building on scientific foundations and careful planning for its projects. In Ibb Governorate, it carried out a study to determine empowerment needs in poor areas in coordination with the Zakat Authority. It also conducted two field studies in Hazm Al-Udain District of the same governorate to assess the conditions of poor families and identify suitable economic empowerment projects for them. The first study covered Al-Sha'awer sub-district, where 1,510 beneficiaries were surveyed and their data analyzed to design interventions tailored to their needs and capabilities. The second study covered the Bani Abdullah sub-district in the same district, targeting 200 beneficiaries whose data was fully analyzed, and an appropriate intervention plan was developed within economic empowerment projects. These studies reflect the Authority's commitment to directing developmental support accurately to the most disadvantaged rural areas in Yemen. Among the studies was an assessment of empowerment needs in urban areas of Al-Hodeidah City, where the Authority worked on identifying economic empowerment projects suited to the city's nature. The preliminary results of the study highlighted the need to align training and empowerment programs with the requirements of the local labor market in Al-Hodeidah to ensure proposed projects are effective and feasible. Coordination was made with local authorities and the General Directorate of Women's Affairs in Al-Hodeidah to launch urban empowerment programs, with particular benefits for women and youth. He concluded by emphasizing the vital role that research and studies play in guiding the Authority's development projects and ensuring the maximum possible positive impact on society. This reflects the Authority's commitment to establishing an updated database across various sectors to ensure the design of suitable interventions. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print
Saba Yemen
2 days ago
- Saba Yemen
Al-Zaraniq tribes in Al-Hodeidah mourn martyr Muhammad Qaibil & demand swift delivery of perpetrators
Hodeidah - Saba: Al-Zaraniq tribes in Al-Husseiniya area of Bayt al-Faqih district in Al-Hodeidah province held the funeral procession for the martyr Muhammad Hiba Qaibil. He was treacherously killed at the Mahfad checkpoint in Abyan governorate early Wednesday dawn two weeks ago, in a crime that sparked widespread outrage among the people of Tihama. The mourners condemned the assault on Qaibil, including the robbery of the money he was carrying before the perpetrators opened fire on him. They denounced this crime as violating all Yemeni ethics and customs and considered it a dangerous precedent reflecting increasing security chaos in the occupied areas. Al-Zaraniq tribes demanded the immediate arrest and delivery of the criminals to justice, warning against any negligence or delay in apprehending the killers and ensuring retribution. They expressed full solidarity with the martyr's family and emphasized their adherence to tribal and legal rights to pursue the perpetrators until they receive their punishment, stressing that justice for the martyr's family is a tribal and societal demand that is non-negotiable. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
Saba Yemen
2 days ago
- Saba Yemen
Women's Authority in Hajjah organizes solidarity vigils with Palestinian people in Gaza
Hajjah – Saba: The Women's Authority in Hajjah governorate organized on Friday several solidarity vigils with the Palestinian people under the slogan: "Steadfast with Gaza... Our Readiness Is High to Face All Enemy Conspiracies." Participants in the vigils held in various areas raised both Palestinian and Yemeni flags, along with banners expressing disavowal of the enemies of Islam, traitors, and collaborators. The participants condemned the horrific crimes committed by the Zionist enemy against children and women in Gaza, including its policy of starvation and thirst aimed at exterminating the people of the Strip and using humanitarian aid as a trap for killing. They also denounced the ongoing efforts of the usurping Zionist entity to Judaize Jerusalem through the expansion of settlement outposts and demolition of Palestinian homes. The vigils strongly condemned the disgraceful stances of Arab and Islamic regimes regarding the brutal crimes committed by the Zionists in Gaza and the West Bank, and the aggression against Lebanon, in full view of the world. A statement issued by the vigils affirmed continued broad-based activity as part of a principled stance of jihad for the sake of Allah, fulfillment of responsibility, and steadfastness in a comprehensive, clear, firm, and escalating position in support of the Palestinian people. The statement called on all Muslims to support the courageous resistance in Gaza with weapons and everything that would strengthen their steadfastness, considering it the sound and wise option. It also warned that the Zionist-American enemy's activation of its agents inside and outside the Ummah to pressure the resistance in Gaza, Palestine, and Lebanon — using local and regional tools under the guise of 'interests' — is merely part of the broader aggression against the Ummah using deceptive tactics. The statement concluded by calling on all Arab and Islamic peoples to rise up, raise their voices, protect al-Aqsa Mosque and the holy sites, and stand in solidarity with Gaza and the Palestinian people. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (Local)
