SAADA: MEDIA COVERAGE SUGGESTS HEAVY FIGHTING,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SANAA 001117

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/30/2017
TAGS: PREL MOPS YM
SUBJECT: SAADA: MEDIA COVERAGE SUGGESTS HEAVY FIGHTING,
QATARI MEDIATION

REF: SANAA 1022

Classified By: AMBASSADOR THOMAS C. KRAJESKI, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (
D).


1. (C) SUMMARY: As the Saada conflict enters its fifth month,
and even though journalists have been barred from traveling
to Saada since late January, government, independent and
opposition Yemeni media outlets continue to report on daily
fighting throughout the governorate between Houthi supporters
and government troops, and their respective tribal partners.
The Houthis are reportedly developing their own media
campaign in Saada with the establishment of an FM radio
station. Media speculation on Qatari mediation to end the
conflict persists. While it is virtually impossible to
confirm which media accounts are accurate, reporting suggests
that both sides to the conflict have stepped up fighting in
an attempt to gain the upper hand over the other. END SUMMARY


June 2007: Fifth Month of Fighting
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2. (SBU) Independent and opposition Yemeni press outlets
continue to report daily battles and skirmishes throughout
many regions of the Saada governorate between al-Houthi
supporters and government troops. This cable provides an
overview of war reporting for the first week of June.


3. (SBU) WESTERN SAADA: On June 3 Al-Ayyam, an independent
daily with wide national circulation, reported fighting in
the western section of the governorate, specifically in
Duhyan and Majz. Army units based east of Saada reportedly
launched Katyusha rocket attacks on Duhyan and Bani Mu'ath
area south of Duhyan. Eshteraki.Net, an online daily
associated with the opposition Socialist Party, also reported
on June 2 heavy fighting on the outskirts of Duyhan, which is
Saada's second largest city and which has reportedly been
under Houthi control for some time. (NOTE: For Yemenis,
Duhyan also has symbolic importance as the former stronghold
of the Imam, who was deposed over 40 years ago.) Both
Al-Ayyam and Eshteraki.Net reported heavy fighting during the
first several days of June in the Razeh district east of
Saada City, with the result that Government forces reportedly
re-took the town of Qala'a, which had been under Houthi
control for at least two months.


4. (SBU) NORTHERN SAADA: During the first week of June,
Al-Ayyam also described a three-day offensive by army units
near Jebel 'Azaan (north of Talh),a successful government
artillery attack in the same area, and the seizure on June 4
of key entrances and roads near Matra, north of Talh,
enabling the Government reportedly to isolate several Huthi
units in the area.


5. (SBU) SOUTHERN SAADA: Most Yemeni media outlets
reported on May 31/June 1 that fighting between government
and Houthi forces in Al-Layl, south of Saada City, resulted
in the deaths of around six civilians. The army and Houthi
insurrectionists allegedly exchanged heavy fire in and around
a busy market area in that town. Eshteraki.Net also reported
that followers of Sheikh Qaid Shuwait were killed while
supporting army operations in the area of Dimaj, southeast of
Saada in the al-Safraa district. (NOTE: Dimaj is the site
of a well-known Salafist school of Islamic studies. END NOTE)


Battle of the Airwaves
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6. (SBU) MarebPress.Net, an independent online daily, and
Al-Ayyam reported that the al-Houthi rebels launched an FM
radio station in Saada in response to the government's recent
television and radio media campaign. Al-Ayyam reported that
local government authorities were actively combating Houthi
propaganda with religious radio broadcasts, mosque lectures,
and the distribution of taped lectures from various religious
leaders warning about the dangers of sectarian conflict.
Other news outlets reported that the Saada Governor and
Minister of Religious Affairs inaugurated a new government
radio station in Saada City that would be used to "spread
peaceful religious principles and moderate thought."


SANAA 00001117 002 OF 002


Rumors Of Qatari Mediation Persist
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7. (SBU) Local press continued to speculate on Qatari
mediation to end the Saada war. Press reports that the
Qatari Emir's mid-May visit to Sanaa was related to Saada
were met by official Yemeni denials. Esthteraki.Net opined
that presidential advisor and former prime minister
Abdulkarim al-Iryani's recent trips to Qatar were related to
mediation efforts, and both MarebPress.Net and Eshteraki.Net
carried a statement by Abdul Malek al-Houthi, in which he
mentioned the existence of Qatari mediation. Al-Houthi
stated that he was waiting for an answer from the Yemeni
authorities about an unspecified proposal. All media outlets
also covered the June 6 visit to Sanaa of the Qatari prime
minister, with the official Saba News Agency noting only that
the official was "conveying a letter from the Emir of Qatar
concerning brotherly relations."


8. (C) COMMENT: Although as recently as June 10 the Foreign
Minister denied to the Ambassador that the Qataris were
involved in mediating with the al-Houthis, media reports of
these high-level visits (and credible post contacts) suggest
that something is afoot. Similarly, the flurry of reporting
on fighting throughout the governorate suggests that both
sides of the conflict have stepped up their efforts to gain a
definitive upper hand. Minister of Interior Alimi in a
nationally televised press conference asserted that the
Government had surrounded the last remnants of the rebel
forces and that most of the governorate was "under control."
On June 12, press reports quoted the Saada governor as saying
that the rebels were "drawing their last breath." Only time
will tell if the Government has in fact once again succeeded
in containing the rebels. Even if the Government has gained
the upper hand militarily, however, past experience
demonstrates that lasting peace in Saada can only come with a
comprehensive political settlement followed by significant
economic development -- areas in which Qatari assistance
could be very helpful indeed.
KRAJESKI