policy in yemen. we'll hear about the status of humanitarian aid efforts and tackling the kol ra outbreak. we'll also get an update on al qaeda in the peninsula. we'll start after the committee finishes up with some other businesses. >> so with love, we thank acting assistant secretary satterfield and mr. jenkins for joining us today. we'll examine u.s. policy towards yemen, particularly in light of concern in congress and regarding the civil war in the dire humanitarian consequences. according to the united nations more than 22 million people, roughly three-quarters of the population, need humanitarian aid and protection and 18 million people are food insecure. last year there were over 1 million suspected cases of cholera. while yemen has always faced significant socioeconomic challenges, a civil war armed a takeover of much of the country in 2014 in their overthrow of yemen's government in january 2015 has plunged the country into a humanitarian crises. iran's support of the rebels and the interven

special envoy for yemen martin griffiths has been laying out his assessment of the situation in yemen he says he has a framework for negotiations working towards peace he said there was good news and bad news on the good news front he said there can be a political solution possible to end the conflict he said he's spoken to people from all groups in yemen as and they too want peace he said no peace in yemen unless the south of the countries involved he said ending the war isn't the same as building peace he did talk about the bad news though from a pragmatic sense saying that the war in yemen is louder and more pressing of recent weeks he said there's concern about the number of missiles being fired toward saudi arabia and he said there's concern about growing civilian casualties let's go live now to the u.n. and bring in mike hanna who's been listening to martin griffis mike so martin griffiths there laying out his assessment of the situation in yemen what more did he have to say and how significant is it. well it's important to put in some background here darren martin griffith was

in many places, including yemen. they can't get well-intended aid, medical supplies to the people who need it because we don't have enough security to even give them that access. i've been to darfur. it's horrible. i hope we will get the n.g.o.'s that are trying to get the aid to the 23 million yemenese who are in trouble to them as quickly and expeditiously as possible. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you. senator shaheen. senator shaheen: thank you, chairman, for holding this hearing, and thank you, witnesses, for being here to testifying and for your efforts to address the crisis in yemen which has truly taken a horrific toll on millions of innocent men and women there and particularly children. i'm disappointed that the senate has not yet made a decisive statement about the need to influence saudi-led operations and to protect those innocent civilians in yemen. i think it's long past time we send a message to the leadership of saudi arabia that we have high expectations for our allies, particularly those who ar

>> what is necessary right now is a dialogue across yemen and enter yemen dialogue that can help support a larger peace negotiation. some bay who's some bay dialogue? >> we are happy that mark griffin has started this. he needs time and space to show results and we want to be as supportive as we can across the interagency with his efforts. >> mr. karem. >> i agree with secretary sutterfield and secretary jenkins that you will need to bring a number of parties inside of yemen together and there are the external players who are in touch. >> does that include iran being one of the players at the table to negotiate? >> i have seen precious little evidence that iran is interested in a negotiated solution in yemen, syria or elsewhere. >> do you we think that the houthis will negotiate in good faith and they continue to believe that iran will support them in their activity is? >> senator that policy is premised on two things. the first creating that all encompassing all embracing political process in which the houthis do have a voice. the second is to curtail constrained and mitigated rollback

in the discussions about what's going on there considering their role in bombing yemen. well if you if you could just allow me to respond to what was mentioned by happy i'm in the about the palestinian cause as a lost cause i think it's too early and a premature to say that the palestinian cause is a lost cause yes that is a palestinian and demand division which has been going on for more than in the u.s now but that doesn't justify at all and to say that the palestinian cause is a lost jewels is a lost cause i believe that the palestinian people have paid heavy. casualties over the past seventy years and especially since the israeli occupation of west bank gaza is you will see him in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven and the palestinian people are willing to do whatever it takes to put them into this is way to occupation and settlement expansion at a store of their national unity and establish a palestinian independent over the. occupied territories now going back to a question on who was responsible for this lynn getting in the end on now unfortunately what is happ

as the war in yemen enters its fourth year the u.n. says it's become the world's worst humanitarian crisis twenty two million yemenis that's three quarters of the population are in dire need of humanitarian aid or protection nearly eighteen million don't have enough to eat sixteen million lack access to basic health care and more than ten thousand have been killed with large numbers injured many by indiscriminate armed action all parties in the war. well it's bring in our guests on set is no. visiting fellow at the brookings doha center from sana his say in. journalist and joining us by skype from washington d.c. is now bill hootie a former u.s. diplomat and deputy chief of mission in yemen for the state department a very warm welcome to all three of you as i know because eighty targeting awaiting those gruesome pictures that we've just seen three daily strikes in three days up take on military action here what do you think is going on. seems to me from the beginning of this war the saudis started it strikes an attack on yemen twenty s

in yemen, a u.s.-backed saudi-led coalition airstrike tore through a wedding party late sunday, killing at least 20 people. most of the dead were reportedly women and children who were gathered in one of the wedding party tents. the bride was also among those killed. medics and residents said more than 30 others were also injured in the attack in the bani qaisis district in northern yemen. at the scene of the attack, one man lashed out at saudi arabia. >> they always target weddings. they kill children and innocent people, so we can only complain to god, not in huhuman rights or any country in the world. amy: more than 15,0000people have been killed since the u.s. like saudi led coalition intervened in yemen in march 2015, backed with u.s. intelligence throw weapons, and munitions. saudi-led airstrikes have devastated yemen's health, water and sanitation systems, sparking a massive cholera outbreak and it is believed one million people have color in yemen. and pushing millions of yemenis to the brink

in yemen, a u.s.-backed saudi-led coalition airstrike tore through a wedding party late sunday, killing at least 20 people. most of the dead were reportedly women and children who were gathered in one of the wedding party tents. the bride was also among those killed. medics and residents said more than 30 others were also injured in the attack in the bani qais district in northern yemen. at the scene of the attack, one man lashed out at saudi arabia. >> they always target weddings. they kill children and innocent people, so we can only complain to god, not in human rights or any country in the world. amy: more than 15,000 people have been killed since the u.s. like saudi led coalition intervened in yemen in march 2015, backed with u.s. intelligence throw weapons, and munitions. saudi-led airstrikes have devastated yemen's health, water and sanitation systems, sparking a massive cholera outbreak and it is believed one million people have color in yemen. and pushing millions of yemenis to the brink of s

obviously very clear the community in yemen's leader. ahmed was killed this week when the new elected the yemeni hooty leader mother. said that the yemeni people will hold the usa perhaps even the united kingdom responsible for his death you're the poorest country in the middle east how can you hold britain in the united states responsible here many people anyway and i believe in the coming days and weeks the whole thing. we'll take a serious step against saudi specially against cities south of saudi arabia and i'm sure that one of the main target for yemeni ballistic missiles from now on will be saudi backbone economical backbone which is the oil field and saudi import and the airport because we know that mohamed bin salmond depend on our uncle for his new vision that he want to do in saudi for the next thirty years if it was not for the oil then the saudi will not be able to buy this weapons this mean that the u.k. and u.s. will not be able to sell weapons to the saudi and i think the whole you have realized that they will now from now

yemen a nation destroyed by war and in the midst of what the u.n. calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis. and the united states were donald trump's travel ban has now made it seemingly impossible to bring his family. not to finish and that. they should follow when you when you want to limit his move to us . which is. michigan his family have been living in the east african nation of djibouti across the sea from yemen for almost four months. there hasn't been an american embassy in yemen for over three years now because of the war. that means visa applicants including american citizens like machine have had their cases assigned to foreign countries like to booty as they try to get their families away from the consulate. muffy hall and a mission to land up another about how to my feet. my fishing in county and my vision down i let out a last. something hot and been hot and heavy a while evolution to how to. tell this daughter eleven year old was born with cerebral palsy making it more urgent for her to get adequate medical care something that's b

obviously very clear the community in yemen's leader. ahmed was killed this week when the new elected the yemeni hooty leader mother. said that the yemeni people will hold the usa perhaps even the united kingdom responsible for his death you're the poorest country in the middle east how can you hold britain in the united states responsible the yemeni people anyway and i believe in the coming days and weeks the whole thing. we'll take a serious step against saudi specially against cities south of saudi arabia and i'm sure that one of the main target for yemeni ballistic missiles from now on will be saudi backbone economical backbone which is the oil field and saudi import and so forth because we know that mohamed bin salmond they bent on our uncle for his new vision that he want to do in saudi for the next thirty years if it was not for the oil then the saudi will not be able to buy this weapons this mean that the u.k. and u.s. will not be able to sell weapons to the saudi and i think the whole you have realized that they will now from no

bombs in yemen.made the omission during a hearing of the senate armed services committee last month. your response? >> the use of these weapons. when it comes to issues of violations of international humanitarian law, when you have mass sibling casualties where we know u.s. bombs have been used because you can take up the remnants on the ground. i have been into a house that was a residential home were two children were killed and found the bomb remnants there, traced the serial numbers, and they were american-made. it is very easy now for people on the ground to do that. they know where these weapons are coming from. for the u.s. not to know what is the uses, -- end use makes the u.s. complicit. people should be deeply concernened about thatat. have saidhe saudis they will carry out t their own investigations into the strikes where thehere have been claimsmf violations of international humanitarian law, there have been no real independent inquiries now on to what is going on on the ground. for the u

a wedding in yemen in the past few days joining me now from yemen's capital sana is journalist hussein albuquerque thank you so much the same for coming again on going underground the british government have said that their hearts go out to the people killed in the strike but will continue to sell arms to saudi arabia and the saudis have told britain that they will carry out an inquiry so are you pleased with that britain is supporting the yemeni people in the saudis will carry out an inquiry i don't see that britain is supporting in many people in any way they are supporting the saudis and there are selim bombs to the saudi according to the guardian they have like that they have increased sales of weapons five times. for the saudis to say that we will investigate this is silly it just guessed imagine hitler is saying i will investigate the holocaust how can you ask someone who have committed the crime to investigate that but it is hot is not towards yemen that it is hard towards a saudi pocket and we see them crying about what's happening in syria what is was a claim about the chemica

obviously very clear the community in yemen's leader. ahmed was killed this week when the new elected the yemeni hooty leader. said that the yemeni people will hold the usa perhaps even the united kingdom responsible for his death you're the poorest country in the middle east how can you hold britain in the united states responsible here many people anyway and i believe in the coming days and weeks the hope of the. we'll take a serious step against saudi specially against cities south of saudi arabia and i'm sure that one of the main target for yemeni ballistic missiles from now on will be saudi backbone economical backbone which is the oil field and saudi import and so forth because we know that mohamed bin salmond depend on our uncle for his new vision that you want to do in saudi for the next thirty years if it was not for the oil then the saudi will not be able to buy this weapons this mean that the u.k. and u.s. will not be able to sell weapons to the saudi and i think the whole you have realized that they will now from now on will

some in djibouti others having returned to yemen. and their relatives in the us waiting hoping they can be together soon. before the war yemeni americans were able to travel relatively easily between their two home countries. that's the case for abdul figgis. he works in the u.s. for an a.t.m. company to support his family. we went to meet him at his apartment just outside new york city home to generations of yemeni americans saw a wave of immigrants they came from our area in yemen abdul's family's roots in the u.s. go back almost a century i'm a fourth generation fourth generation in the country my father was grandfather. from his mother's side of the cities my father was a citizen all my uncles are citizens abdul had hoped his children would continue that line to. she was twenty one years old amanda seventeen when i was nine and this is my wife. and your other son so nineteen years old obama is not in this for he first applied for visas for his wife and four children in two thousand and fifteen just after the war began it marked t

how doing scenes from yemen show the aftermath of an alleged saudi coalition air strike on a wedding party which killed at least twenty people. there are concerns of rising anti-semitism in germany with the chancellor highlighting an increase in. ten thousand refugees and. i have changed my mind i have decided to go and vote for director pump a to donald trump's controversial nomination for u.s. secretary of state narrowly avoided historic rejection from the senate foreign relations committee. welcome to the news this hour first off for you. humanitarian organizations are demanding answers over an alleged saudi led coalition air strike on a wedding party in yemen the bombing killed at least twenty people and injured dozens more some reports suggest that as many as fifty people may have been killed please let me warn you that the video we're about to show you is distressing to watch and it's you can see seven year old boy clinging to what's believed to be his father's body and the family said to have traveled from another part of the country to attend the celebrations the man's body w

you have yemen. you have. the last batch you hear a. lot of issues that we had on the war all he can do now is hope that the country he once called home will let him do so again. it's a long way going for you as an american had to. rewind returns with a new series of care bring your people back to life or i'm sorry i'm brian new updates on the best of al-jazeera documentaries there has been a number of reforms put in price since the program was filmed rewind continues with massive darkness we were following orders we sing young people to fight these wars put them in the most complex situations you can imagine and have a midwife and the scissors rewind on al-jazeera. in the us civil war brought slavery to an end or did it there is a strong possibility that the very real it. could have been brought to your table by a little slave effect all right here in the land of the free thousands upon what has tricked into emigrating and trapped by un scrupulous profiteers. to change slaves positive slavery a twenty first century evil announces iraq.

yemen's health care system is under extreme strain the young are worst hit. but i'm a little bit what would even before the war more than one in five newborns died now the death rate can hit seventy percent because of the current situation in the country yet at a center. for ayesha and her family the future looks bleak without help and already critical situation could become desperate. for more on the situation in yemen i'm joined now by martin millions from the aid organization care international who's the regional emergency coordinator for north africa in the middle east and he's based in jordan's capital amman jordan we heard some disturbing numbers there about the situation in yemen as someone who deals with humanitarian crises in many countries can you put the yemen crisis into context for us. yeah it's it's mind boggling i mean looking at the numbers this is the biggest humanitarian crisis of our times. we have i think eighty percent of the population more than twenty two million people in need of humanitarian aid. it's i mean like looking at the number

of challenges will the people of yemen face after the war i think now is it's also the social fabric fabric this social cohesion that the country is very much divided now into at least two parts and of course you know there's a lot of. you know infrastructure that was damaged infrastructure that was destroyed and i think there's yeah i mean that would be for me i guess those two elements would be the top priority peace building so secretions social fabric as well as a recovering economy recovery from the damages of the war martin thank you very much for talking with us so as martin really is there with care international he spoke to us from jordan's capital among. widely make a visit some via in the first leg of their champions league quarter final this evening by owner all the verge of winning their sixth straight bonus league title but it's been five years since they won the champions league in recent seasons spanish sides have always been the stumbling block. biren haven't won the champions league since twenty thirteen every season since they've crashed out against spanish sides.

yemen is on the verge of a farm in their outbreaks of outbreaks of disease there are. millions of people who have been affected by this terrible conflict but unfortunately many people are perhaps not aware of the risks of going to yemen and one of the things that we are doing and we started doing this in february last year is a come pain to inform people in the horn of africa of the dangers of going to yemen with the hope that they will think twice before taking these dangerous routes but at the same time we're working with the authorities eve yemen. to try to sensitize them to the rights of refugees and migrants to advocate for the release when they are detained and also to make sure that they are registered and that we can find out what their protection needs are so that we can respond to those needs william spend their spokesman for the u.n. refugee agency joining me in geneva sir thank you some bob was a celebrated their first independence day without robert mugabe as leave their god he had been in paris and zimbabwe broke away from british rule in one nine hundred

and now to the civil war in yemen the u.n. how they don't or a conference in geneva today that raised more than two billion dollars to help yemenis dependent on food aid three years of fighting have claimed around ten thousand lives and left millions on the verge of famine the proxy war between the saudi backed government and iranian backed rebels has also driven an estimated two million people from their homes. they survive but only barely sixty refugee families fifteen kilometers north of yemen's capital sana'a for two years they have lived here in a few tents once a week and aid organization brings drinking water and tweet just about enough to live and our children don't go to school anymore they have nothing here they're totally destroyed we can only hope for god's help. destruction it's everywhere in yemen the war has made unusable many poets stations schools and hospitals famine and cholera a right almost nothing works without outside help and that costs money. in geneva the global community reacted generously one point

mission in yemen thank you very much indeed sure thing. thank you more ahead on the news people power forces yet another high profile resignation following the killing of an investigative journalist in slovakia plus. spent too many years using technology to take advantage of people's openness and get well the confession of a former cambridge analytical worker how it could have affected the braggs it vote . and in sports why this win by china's champions has put a big smile on the face of an italian legend. donald trump says u.s. officials have been conducting direct high level talks with north korea to try to arrange a summit with north korean leader kim jong un trying spoke during a meeting with japanese prime minister shinzo abi who was visiting the president as his model lago resort in florida north korea's weapons program has dominated talks between the two leaders we've also started talking to the north korean directly we have had direct talks at very high levels greenly i levels with north korea. and i really believe there's a lot of

on borders a political solution is the only way to advance long term stability in yemen and then the suffering and i know we agree on that. agreed to fully support the new u.n. new u.n. on boys efforts to advance a political settlement that ends the civil war and enduring solution to this conflict and the dire humanitarian situation that has followed from it a longstanding political and security vacuum created by the conflict as well as to terror humanitarian conditions have also been exploited in yemen by al qaeda in the arabian peninsula and by isis when these groups are given safe haven in the u.s. homeland is at risk president trips first trip to saudi arabia was historic and i reminded the king how much president trump appreciated that trip while he was here he attended the opening of the global center for combating extremist ideology i asked minister to bear for an update on the work of the center it represents a clear declaration that muslim majority countries must take the lead in comparing terrorism and radicalization around the world america is prepared to stand with saudi

the saudi coalition air strike hits a wedding party in yemen killing at least twenty people and injuring dozens more. i'm. a human rights group releases a video from the west bank showing an israeli soldier cheering after shooting a palestinian protester with a rubber bullet. are broadcasting live direct for us it is a moscow this is an international thomas certainly glad to have you with us. heaped praise on his guest at a meeting in the white house the u.s. president called the relationship between america and france a special one and he had his very own unique way of showing it. but the united states lonely frogs thank you. mr president the old saying what a great relationship we have and they're actually correct it's not fake news finally it's not fake news so it's a great honor they don't know that you're here but we do have a very special relationship in fact i get that piece of. peace we have to make them for years perfect so it is really it is really great to be with you and your special right now a lot of the basis of recent unity between donald trump and french president mccraw

grey area should be no question about exports to saudi arabia for the war in yemen. can be used for intended for use in wars of aggression or for measures that would disturb the peace as the law stipulates then the federal government is duty bound to refuse to approve their export time the german economic ministry has to say about the bomb. in the matter you describe the assumption that the export of bombs took place from italy in this regard german law. exports from germany very easy for the. these particular. to being produced in their responsibility to regulate the italian. and it is in this way that the global trade in weapons remains less regulated than the global trade. some deals were approved by neither the italian nor the german government run but sound has found another way around the regulations this time by a south africa. since the days of apartheid the country has had a powerful arms industry with close ties to politicians. one of the few politicians who lost critical questions about this is copus moray of the opposition party democratic alliance in twe

grey area or not there should be no question of exports to saudi arabia for the war in yemen. if arms can be used or intended for use in wars of aggression or for measures that would to. the piece as the law stipulates then the federal german government is duty bound to refuse to approve their export time the german economic ministry has to say about the bomb sold by iran mittal in the matter you describe the assumption is that the export of arms took place from italy in this regard german law petain certainly to arms exports from germany very easy for the german authorities to say these particular munitions and equipment are being produced in italy their responsibility of the italians to regulate the italians on the other hand. and therefore will assume that the germans are regulating them and it is in this way that the global trade in weapons remains less regulated than the global trade in bananas. some deals were approved by neither the italian nor the german government run the town has found another way around the regulations this time by south africa. since the days of ap

hundreds of thousands marched on the streets of yemen's capital scooty rebels mourn the killing of their second income on. as i'm speaking this is al jazeera live from doha also coming up for dead and more than nine hundred people wounded during the latest dolls' of protests hospitals are stretched to breaking point. north korea's state media call friday's historic summit with the south a new milestone focus now shifts to kim jong un's upcoming meeting with donald trump. and moving to their own be tao a new generation of somalis are defying conflict and religious conservatives. a lot of saudi arabia says intercepted for missiles fired from yemen targeting the city that's hours after a saudi led coalition air strike reportedly killed two leaders and dozens of fighters in yemen's capital city state television says. high level meeting was targeted at the who these interior ministry in santa earlier this month the rebel second in command sala his semite was killed in a saudi led air strike a large crowds have gathered in seven square to pay tribute to sam i'd heard the leaders call for a one

likely different outcomes in yemen so the level below containing iranian influence the killings haveprompted dozens of religious leaders to abandon their mosques and seek refuge elsewhere. it's the latest twist in the three year long civil war which has killed thousands and threatened famine for millions of yemenis medium hond al-jazeera let's bring in the below holding in washington he is a former u.s. diplomat who served as the deputy chief of mission in yemen from two thousand and four to two thousand and seven thanks for being with us so let me ask you first of all what he what do you think is going on here if these murders are are all sunni affiliated as has been reported and it seems likely that the iraqis a behind it what will be their motivation for this. so there are some conflicting goals and conflicting alliances between solidary b.s. and the united arab emirates in principle there are partners they liberate the saudis from the who is. another they've done that they're not quite sure what they're doing to some extent and saudi arabia is not going to slow or illegitimacy of

aid agencies in yemen a warning they may not be able to contain the spread of diseases. as more people become resistant to lifesaving antibiotics yemen's a fragile health system has been devastated by years of war and the country is battling major outbreaks of cholera and diptheria doctors say the over use of antibiotics coupled with poor hygiene and a lack of access to clean water could help diseases spread beyond yemen's borders those are the headlines i'll have more news for you in half an hour coming up next counting the cost thanks for watching away. and.

yemen is not a country like you can find another come. with a little infrastructure in yemen you have a lot of infrastructure and this particular infrastructure is falling to pieces and we international organization including the i.c.r.c. we try to do what we can to support these structures but of course we can only do so much so i do agree with you that bringing back the country. back on its feet will be a long long lasting tones and sounds like it's a technical problem that needs dealing with that aid is somehow just a front line is to do with water and food but it's not it's a there are few doctors the ones who are there are being paid the very structures of what the country needs in order to keep rolling and keep facilitating just are very of the moment it's not only one of the most serious crisis that i've seen it's also as you point out one of the most. complicate it i have seen and i am afraid that this is becoming a feature of some of the conflicts you know some of the conflict where i work at the begin of my career were very poor

already yemen's already fragile health system has been all but destroyed by years of war with assad led bombing campaign resulting in sounds of casualties previously manageable diseases have now reached epidemic levels last year one million cases of color would reported that's the worst outbreak in modern history meanwhile the period that's usually a treatable infection has killed at least forty eight people across the country doctors are concerned about the overuse of antibiotics in the region when coupled with thousands of injuries for hygiene and the lack of access to clean water they fear diseases and antibiotic resistance may spread beyond that yet it well and unary is the medical coordinator for doctors without borders in yemen she says it's an issue that's emerging in war torn countries across the middle east. but received here in our hospital in yemen is that around sixty to seventy percent of the patients samples are either infected or colonized by with the resistant organisms these are the same organisms one would find in major western hospitals but what's surprising is th

but of my legion about my my old my history same in yemen so i do support the government. in confronting the iranians i just hope they will do it right we need to do it right and we need to confront it and use but on the same time we need to be partners about just been maybe by doing this right maybe we can do it with this money by supporting us that in desperation and that desperation of democracy in yemen in syria that with what the debt with dr david i mean is out much faster and listen this closely down and continue with the effects anastasia coming back to the finances if in reports that saudi arabia in order to raise money is targeting high oil prices in order to balance its budget there reportedly want a price tag at one hundred dollars a barrel for oil in able to to keep up with these domestic projects how realistic is that how much influence do they have in bringing up these oil prices yeah they hundred dollar price seems to be magical and not just for the saudis russian officials sometimes discuss it as a potential target however i don't think it's actually reali