2012 Sanaʽa bombing

Last updated

2012 Sana'a bombing
Part of the Yemeni Crisis (2011-present)
Location Sana'a, Yemen
Date21 May 2012 (2012-05-21)
09:00 AST (UTC+03:00)
Target Yemeni Army soldiers
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths101 [1] -120+ [2]
Injuries
220 [1] -350 [3]
Perpetrator Ansar al-Sharia

The 2012 Sana'a bombing was a suicide attack on 21 May 2012, against Yemeni Army soldiers practicing for the annual Unity Day military parade in Sana'a, Yemen. The ceremony is carried out every year on 22 May since 1990 to mark the unification of North Yemen and South Yemen as the Republic of Yemen. [3] Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) affiliate Ansar al-Sharia.

Contents

Background

The suicide bombing came 10 days into an army offensive against al-Qaeda in Yemen’s restive southern Abyan province, where the AQAP (Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) have seized control of a string of towns and cities in attacks launched since May 2011. [4] According to witnesses and Yemeni officials, the Yemeni government had intensified its offensive against Al Qaeda in southern Yemen in the week prior to the attack with combined air and ground assaults leaving dozens of casualties, among them civilians. [5] It also follows suspected U.S. drone bombings in Yemen, which AQAP said the attack was in retaliation for and, at the same time, AQAP have used instability over the 2011-2012 Yemeni uprising to take control of swathes of southern Yemen.

Attack

The attack took place in al-Sabin Square, near Yemen's presidential palace, as soldiers were arranging themselves in a parade rehearsal for the upcoming Unity Day ceremonies. [6] According to Yemeni security officials, the bomber was a rogue soldier participating in the drill wearing a belt of explosives. Early reports suggested a few dozen casualties, but by the early afternoon the confirmed death toll was at 90, with at least 222 injured. [3] Security officials stated that the attacker had detonated his explosives shortly before Defence Minister Muhammad Nasir Ahmad Ali and the army chief-of-staff[ who? ] were expected to greet the troops. [3] The attack resulted in "horrific carnage", with one witness describing "arms and legs scattered on the ground ... The wounded people were piled on top of each other, covered with blood." [5] Another soldier who had been present for the attack called it a "massacre", stating "I have never seen such a bloody day in my life". [7] Al-Arabiya reported on 96 dead and over 300 injured in the blast. [4] Later in the day the casualty toll was raised yet again, this time to over 120 killed and nearly 350 injured, some of them critically. [2]

A doctor at a Sana'a hospital described the city's medical facilities as overwhelmed, and stated that the attack had left dozens paralyzed. [8] Most of the casualties appeared to be from the Central Security Organisation – a large paramilitary force commanded by Yahya Saleh, a nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Within hours of the attack, Saleh was dismissed from his post by presidential decree. [3]

Perpetrators

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula's-affiliate Ansar al-Sharia claimed responsibility for the attack a few hours after it had taken place. A spokesman for the group said it was in retaliation for injustices done by the CSO: "We will take revenge, God willing, and the flames of war will reach you everywhere, and what happened is but the start of a jihad project in defence of honour and sanctities." It also added that there would be more attacks if the government assault did not stop in Abyan. [9]

Reactions

President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi stated that the attackers "wanted to turn the joy of our people with the unity day into sorrow ... and therefore, the war on terrorism will continue till it is uprooted and defeated completely whatever the sacrifices are". State-run Saba News Agency condemned the bombing as a terrorist attack, showing "a moral and religious perversion of the attackers and plotters". [7]

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attack and called for those involved to be brought to justice. He also urged the people of Yemen to fully implement the negotiated political transition that had replaced the administration of President Saleh with that of Hadi following the 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution. [6]

The U.K. Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt strongly condemned the attack, calling it 'cowardly'. He added that "this tragic event underlines the scale of the security challenge facing the Yemeni government as it seeks to introduce key reforms and work towards completing political transition". [10] The White House issued a statement as well, condemning the bombing and offering to help Yemen with the investigation. [11] US President Barack Obama also expressed concerns that Yemen was becoming a "hub" for terrorism. [12] French President François Hollande described the attack as "barbaric". [8]

The Somali Islamic militant group Al-Shabaab congratulated Al-Qaeda on the successful attack through its official Twitter account. [13]

Aftermath

The Unity Day parade was held on schedule the following day, with President Hadi watching from behind a bulletproof barrier. [14] On 24 May, a suicide bomber killed 12 people when he drove his car into a crowd supporting Shi'ite rebels, who Al Qaeda considers "renegade Muslims". Another suicide bomber attempted to attack a protest on the same day, but his belt killed only himself. [15]

Related Research Articles

In its war on terrorism in Yemen, the US government describes Yemen as "an important partner in the global war on terrorism". There have been attacks on civilian targets and tourists, and there was a cargo-plane bomb plot in 2010. Counter-terrorism operations have been conducted by the Yemeni police, the Yemeni military, and the United States Armed Forces.

Ali Abdullah Saleh President of North Yemen from 1978 to 1990; President of Yemen from 1990 to 2012

Ali Abdullah Saleh was a Yemeni politician who served as the first President of Yemen, from Yemeni unification on 22 May 1990 to his resignation on 25 February 2012, following the Yemeni Revolution. Previously, he had served as President of the Yemen Arab Republic, or North Yemen, from July 1978 to 22 May 1990, after the assassination of President Ahmad al-Ghashmi.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militant Islamist organization

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, also known as Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen, is a militant Islamist organization, primarily active in Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It was named for al-Qaeda, and states it is subordinate to that group and its now-deceased leader Osama bin Laden, a Saudi citizen of Yemeni heritage. It is considered the most active of al-Qaeda's branches, or "franchises," that emerged due to weakening central leadership. The U.S government believes AQAP to be the most dangerous al-Qaeda branch. The group established an emirate during the 2011 Yemeni Revolution, which waned in power after foreign interventions in the subsequent Yemeni Civil War.

The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen refers to the armed conflict that started in 1998 between the Yemeni government with United States assistance, and al-Qaeda-affiliated cells in Yemen. The strife is often categorized as a sub-conflict in the greater Global War on Terror.

Timeline of the Yemeni Revolution (3 June – 22 September 2011)

The following is a timeline of the 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution from 3 June through 22 September 2011. The Yemeni revolution was a series of major protests, political tensions, and armed clashes taking place in Yemen, which began in January 2011 and were influenced by concurrent protests in the region. Hundreds of protesters, members of armed groups, army soldiers and security personnel were killed, and many more injured, in the largest protests to take place in the South Arabian country for decades.

2012 Abyan offensive

The 2012 Abyan offensive was an offensive by the Yemeni military against Islamist militant forces, possibly including elements of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), in the province of Abyan with the purpose of re-capturing the militant-held towns of Zinjibar and Jaʿār.

Ansar al-Sharia (Yemen)

Jama'at Ansar al-Shari'a, also known as Ansar al-Shari'a, is a Yemen-based umbrella organization which includes units from several militant Islamic groups of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). In 2011, AQAP created Ansar Al-Sharia as a Yemen-based affiliate focused on waging an insurgency rather than international attacks on the West. In the view of the International Crisis Group, AQAP is "an internally diverse organisation with varying layers of support among the local population" and many AAS members and allies are not committed to AQAP's international agenda.

Special Security Forces (Yemen)

The Special Security Forces is a paramilitary force in Yemen under the control of the Minister of the Interior, and forms a key part of the Yemeni security establishment. The force was some 50,000 strong as of 2008, before the Yemeni Crisis began, and SSF units are equipped with a range of infantry weapons and armored personnel carriers. The force also has its own extrajudicial detention facilities.

The following lists events that happened during 2014 in Yemen.

The following lists events that happened during 2012 in Yemen.

The following lists events that happened in 2015 in Yemen.

Timeline of the Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) refers to events of the Shia insurgency in Yemen, the 2011 Yemeni Revolution, the Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen and the South Yemen insurgency.

Aftermath of the Houthi takeover in Yemen

The aftermath of the Houthi takeover in Yemen refers to developments following the Houthis' takeover of the Yemeni capital of Sana'a and dissolution of the government, which eventually led to a civil war and the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen.

2015 Sanaa mosque bombings four suicide attacks on 20 March 2015 in Sanaa, Yemen

The 2015 Sana'a mosque bombings were four suicide attacks on 20 March 2015 in Sana'a, Yemen.

Aden unrest (2015–present)

The Aden unrest refers to initially ongoing conflict between Islamist factions, such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's Yemen Branch, against the loyalists of president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and later to conflict between UAE-backed and Saudi-backed factions within the coalition. In 2017, fighting also broke out between factions aligned with different members of the Saudi-led coalition namely Saudi Arabia-backed Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and Al-Islah and UAE-backed separatist Southern Transitional Council and Southern Movement.

Shabwah Governorate offensive (2014–present)

Shabwah Governorate offensive (2014–present) refers to an ongoing insurgent campaign by AQAP forces to take control of Shabwah Governorate during the Yemeni Civil War.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Yemen Province

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Yemen Province is a branch of the militant Islamist group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), active in Yemen. ISIL announced the group's formation on 13 November 2014.

On 15 May 2016, a suicide bombing in the southern Yemeni port city of Mukalla, the capital of the Hadhramaut province, killed at least 47 police and injured over 60. The bombing was preceded by an attack, where 15 Yemeni troops were killed in attacks on army positions outside Mukalla. ISIL said, one of its militants blew up a vehicle, packed with explosives, in an army base in the Khalf district at the city's eastern outskirts.

The Hadramaut Insurgency is an ongoing insurgency in Yemen launched by AQAP and ISIL-YP against forces loyal to president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Abyan conflict (2016–2018)

The Abyan conflict (2016–present) is a series of clashes between forces of AQAP loyal to Yemeni president Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, and forces loyal to Southern Movement for the control of Abyan.

References

  1. 1 2 Yemen: Al Qaeda affiliate behind blast that killed 101 soldiers
  2. 1 2 "Death Toll Rises to over 120 after Yemen Parade Bombing". Yemen Post. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "'Al-Qaeda attack' on Yemen army parade causes carnage". BBC News. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 "Al-Qaeda claims bombing that killed nearly 100 Yemeni soldiers". Al Arabiya. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  5. 1 2 Robert F. Worth and Eric Schmitt (21 May 2012). "Qaeda Link Seen in Deadly Blast in Yemen Capital". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  6. 1 2 "Al-Qaida Says Yemen Suicide Bombing Was 'Revenge'". Voice of America. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  7. 1 2 Mohammed Al Qadhi (21 May 2012). "Yemen president vows to fight terror after suicide attack". The National. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  8. 1 2 "UN condemns suicide attack on Yemeni army parade". BBC News. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  9. ↑ "Al-Qaeda claims deadly Yemen suicide blast". Al Jazeera. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.
  10. ↑ "Foreign Office minister condemns 'cowardly' Yemen bombings". ITV. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  11. ↑ "US Condemns Yemen Bombing, Offers Help on Investigation". Yemen Post. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  12. ↑ "Obama says Yemen now a hub for foreign terrorists". Fox News Channel. Associated Press. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  13. ↑ Tristan McConnell (20 May 2012). "Yemen bomb: Somalia's rebels congratulate suicide bomber". Global Post. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  14. ↑ Adam Baron (22 May 2012). "After bombing, Yemen's Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi watches Unity Day ceremony from behind barrier". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  15. ↑ Ahmed Al-Haj (24 May 2012). "Security: Suicide attack kills 12 in east Yemen". The Kansas City Star. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 May 2012.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.