Newspapers of Yemen, between Sanaa and Aden

In Yemen, news is read in Arabic in Aden's Al-Ayyam, Sanaa's Al-Thawra or on NewsYemen and Al-Masdar Online, and in English on Yemen Monitor and South24, with two rival Saba agencies and partisan channels, nearly all free online.

Aden, cradle of the Yemeni press

Under British administration, Aden became the press centre of the peninsula from the 1940s. Fatat al-Jazira appeared there in 1940, then Al-Ayyam was founded in 1958 by Mohammed Ali Bashraheel. In the north, Al-Thawra was born in Sanaa after the 1962 revolution.

Two capitals, two official presses

Since the Houthis took Sanaa in 2014, the state press has been split in two. Al-Thawra and the army paper 26 September follow the Ansar Allah line there, while the recognised government publishes its own media from Aden.

Al-Ayyam, the historic voice of the South

Aden's Al-Ayyam remains the South's leading daily, after a long suspension starting in 2009. South24 and Aden Al-Ghad cover the southern question and the Southern Transitional Council, with content in Arabic and sometimes in English.

Taiz, Marib, Hadramawt: reporting from the front lines

Regional news comes through correspondents in Taiz, a city long under siege, in Marib, in Mukalla in Hadramawt or in Hodeidah on the Red Sea. Local sites and Facebook pages report on fighting, power cuts and fuel prices.

Yemen Monitor, NewsYemen and the aggregators

With few regularly printed newspapers, the web dominates. Yemen Monitor publishes in Arabic and English, NewsYemen and Al-Masdar Online post around the clock, and the aggregator Sahafah24 gathers dispatches from all sides. WhatsApp and Telegram remain essential for alerts.

Why are there two Saba agencies?

The Saba agency, created in the 1970s, split after 2015. One version, controlled by the Houthis, publishes from Sanaa; the other, attached to the recognised government, operates from Aden and Riyadh. Both carry the same name and often contradict each other.

Al-Masirah, Yemen TV, Belqees: partisan screens

Television is highly polarised. Al-Masirah speaks for the Houthis, Yemen TV exists in two rival versions, Belqees broadcasts from Istanbul and Yemen Shabab takes a general-interest tone. Their websites and video channels let viewers follow live broadcasts from abroad.

Riyadh, Cairo, Istanbul: newsrooms in exile

Many Yemeni journalists work from Saudi Arabia, Egypt or Turkey. The Saudi press follows the conflict closely, as does the Omani press, a mediating neighbour whose newspapers cover negotiations and the Mahra border.

Rial, ports and football in the pages

Economic coverage is dominated by the rial's double value, different in Sanaa and Aden since 2019, unpaid salaries and activity at the ports of Aden and Hodeidah. Sport survives thanks to football, notably the successes of youth teams.

A profession under pressure from every side

Yemeni journalists face detention, trials and threats from the Houthis as well as other armed forces. Several have been sentenced by courts in Sanaa, and many outlets have closed or relocated since the war began in 2014.

Cross-checking Yemeni news

All sites remain free, with no paywall. To cross-check, compare an outlet from Sanaa, one from Aden, an independent one such as Yemen Monitor and an international agency. The regional Arab press helps place each announcement in its diplomatic context.

The Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb in the headlines

Attacks on Red Sea shipping since late 2023 have put Yemen at the heart of world news. The Djibouti press, on the other shore of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, also sheds light on maritime and migration issues.

Following Yemen from abroad

1. Read an Aden title such as Al-Ayyam and a Sanaa outlet to compare the two accounts of the conflict.
2. Check which Saba agency a dispatch comes from, the Sanaa one or that of the recognised government.
3. Add Yemen Monitor or South24, which also publish in English, for easier reading.
4. Follow live coverage from Al-Masirah, Belqees or Yemen Shabab while keeping their affiliation in mind.
5. Consult reports from UN agencies for humanitarian and health data.
6. Verify the date and origin of airstrike videos before sharing them.

Access and subscriptions for Yemeni media

Key facts about the Yemeni press

• Language: Arabic; English on a few sites such as Yemen Monitor and South24
• News agency: Saba, divided between Sanaa and Aden
• Television: Yemen TV (two versions), Al-Masirah, Belqees, Yemen Shabab
• Historic southern daily: Al-Ayyam of Aden; Sanaa state daily: Al-Thawra
• Time zone: UTC+3, no daylight saving time
• Currency: Yemeni rial (YER), with different rates in Sanaa and Aden

Common pitfalls with Yemeni media

• Confusing Aden's Al-Ayyam with the dailies of the same name in Bahrain or Palestine when searching online.
• Quoting the Saba agency without specifying whether it is the Houthi-controlled Sanaa version or the Aden one.
• Taking a partisan outlet, such as Al-Masirah or a party-affiliated channel, for a neutral source.
• Comparing prices or salaries in rials without accounting for the double exchange rate between Sanaa and Aden.
• Relaying an airstrike toll posted on Telegram without confirmation from several identified and independent sources.

Frequent questions about Yemen's newspapers