Over 50 million affected in Muslim world in 2011

YEMEN: Behind militia lines in Jaar

JAAR, 27 March 2012 (IRIN) - At first glance the city of Jaar, in Abyan Governorate near the Gulf of Aden, resembles many Yemeni towns struggling to rebuild after a year of nationwide protests shackled the central government’s ability to provide basic services. full report

YEMEN: Cramped shelter conditions for Abyan IDPs

ADEN, 19 March 2012 (IRIN) - Since fleeing their homes in early March after clashes between the Yemeni army and Islamic militants in the southern governorate of Abyan, two families - 19 people in all - have been living in a 22 square metre classroom in al-Fatah School, Tawahi Distrct, Aden Governorate - and they are the lucky ones. full report

MIDDLE EAST: Call for educational reform to create "knowledge society"

DUBAI, 15 March 2012 (IRIN) - If the Arab Spring is to have any lasting impact, education must top the priority list of post-revolutionary reforms in the Arab world, experts said yesterday at the launch of the 2010-2011 Arab Knowledge Report in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). full report

YEMEN: Tortured for ransom

HAJJAH, 12 March 2012 (IRIN) - The discovery of 70 battered men and women held captive in a remote area of Yemen’s Hajjah Governorate near the Saudi Arabian border has sparked an investigation into the torture and extortion of African immigrants by criminal gangs, say local authorities. full report

YEMEN: Arhab District returnees lack water for crops

SANA'A, 6 March 2012 (IRIN) - Abdullah al-Marrani, his wife and nine children left the caves they were sheltering in in mid-February and returned home, but life is not much better in their village of Shaab in Arhab District, some 30km northeast of the Yemeni capital Sana’a. full report

YEMEN: Surge in measles deaths

SANA'A, 5 March 2012 (IRIN) - Measles has killed 126 children in Yemen since mid-2011, a consequence of the breakdown of basic health services during the year-long political crisis. In response to the big increase in reported cases and deaths due to measles, the Yemeni government has appealed for international assistance and an outbreak-response vaccination campaign will begin in the hardest-hit regions on 10 March. full report

YEMEN: Challenges aplenty for new president

SANA'A, 27 February 2012 (IRIN) - Yemen’s new president, Abdu Rabu Masour Hadi, will have his work cut out to ensure the county’s unity and stability, with tens of thousands of protesters still camped out in the main cities, and significant opposition from Houthi rebels in the Sa’dah and Hajjah governorates as well as from the Southern Movement (SM), which wants autonomy for the south. full report

YEMEN: Timeline since signing of power transfer deal

SANA'A, 20 February 2012 (IRIN) - Since the signing of a power transfer deal sponsored by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in November, Yemen has seen further protests and violence, and some key players, like the Houthi-led Shia rebels in the north, oppose tomorrow’s presidential election. IRIN surveys the main events of the past two months. full report

Analysis: Humanitarian needs grow as violence escalates in northern Yemen

HAJJAH, 16 February 2012 (IRIN) - Houthi-led Shia rebels are becoming more assertive and expanding the area under their control especially in the northwestern Yemeni governorate of Hajjah, say observers, prompting the Interior Ministry on 12 February to warn the Houthis to halt their operations. full report