What Our Analysts Are Reading – April, 2020

What Our Analysts Are Reading — April, 2020

Navanti’s data collection and analysis are based on networks of on-the-ground researchers from all walks of life: journalists, academics, and humanitarian workers, to name a few. But our analysts also keep abreast of open source reports to inform their work. Below, Navanti analysts have summarized and contextualized the most important articles they read over the past month. 

Yemen

After a prolonged diplomatic standoff with the Republic of Yemen Government (ROYG), the Southern Transitional Council (STC) announced that it would assume all government functions and service provisions within its territory. The move may signal the end of the Saudi-led Coalition-brokered Riyadh Agreement, potentially ushering in a new round of conflict in southwestern Yemen. —  Tahdeeth News (Arabic)

In response to a decrease in international funding, the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to shutter a number of aid programs in Yemen. UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen stated that the cuts will mandate the closure of hundreds of hospitals and primary health centers, compounding problems with COVID-19 preparedness in a country with an already overburdened health infrastructure. — Al-Monitor

Earlier this month, a Houthi court sentenced four journalists to death and six more to prison sentences for allegedly engaging in espionage. The sentencing has rallied the attention of journalistic organizations and activists within Yemen and abroad, with some groups calling for the UN to intervene on the journalists’ behalf. — Deutsche Welle

Europe and the Balkans

Belarus remains a hold-out against enforced lockdowns as coronavirus hits Eastern Europe. As long-time dictator Alexander Lukasheno ignores conventional wisdom, the country’s case load continues to climb dramatically. — The New York Times  

Unrecognized and disputed territories across Eastern Europe were late to react to COVID-19, leaving their healthcare systems entirely unprepared for the growing number of cases. This article by Ukraine-based Hromadske, in partnership with six local news desks, covers how COVID-19 has spread and impacted the lives of people living in six disputed territories including Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, and the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. — Hromadske  

An unconfirmed report regarding a Russian plot to allegedly poison high-level individuals in the Czech Republic has left Prague’s mayor under police protection. The mayor’s role in removing a Soviet statue in early April may make him an ongoing target. — The Guardian