Southern Yemen clashes

Last updated
Southern Yemen clashes
Part of the Yemeni Civil War (2014–present), the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and the Aden unrest (2015–2019)
DateAugust 7, 2019 – August 29, 2019
(3 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Aden
12°48′00″N45°02′00″E / 12.8°N 45.033333°E / 12.8; 45.033333
Result

STC victory

  • STC forces take control of Aden and Zinjibar [1]
  • Riyadh Agreement reached between the warring parties
Belligerents

Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen Army (Hadi government)

  • Presidential Guard
Supported by:
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia

Flag of South Yemen.svg Southern Transitional Council (STC)

Supported by:
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg  United Arab Emirates
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown
40+ killed
260+ injured
On both sides as of 11 August 2019 [2]
Yemen adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Aden
Location of Aden in Yemen

The Southern Yemen clashes were a series of clashes in the city of Aden between the pro-Hadi government troops backed by Saudi Arabia and Southern Transitional Council forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. The Southern Transitional Council took control of Aden and Zinjibar. [1]

Contents

Clashes

Battle in Aden

Clashes erupted on 7 August 2019 [3] between the STC and pro-Hadi forces in Aden after a missile strike by Houthis killed several soldiers of the Security Belt forces in the city during a military graduation. The soldiers killed included Brig. Gen. Munir Mahmoud Ahmad al-Mashali al-Yafaei, more commonly known as Abu Yamamah al-Yafaei, a leading figure and commander in the Security Belt. The southerners accused the Hadi-led government, as well as Al-Islah party members who are part of the Hadi-led government but harbor deep resentment with the STC, for enabling the attack. The STC released a statement calling the attack "treacherous". [4] The next day, three people were killed and ten were injured in clashes between the pro-Hadi presidential guard based in Aden and southern separatists on 8 August 2019 following the funeral for the victims killed in the Houthi attack. [5] STC took control of Aden's Crater District on 9 August 2019. [6] The STC captured the Badr Camp and the presidential palace on 10 August and a total of 20 people were killed. [7] [8] [9] The Saudi-led coalition launched airstrikes against the STC on the same day. [10]

Ceasefire

Clashes ceased briefly on 11 August 2019 following a meeting between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the United Arab Emirates. The STC agreed to withdraw from several checkpoints it had captured during the clashes and the UAE denied supporting the STC's clashes against the Saudi-led coalition. [11] [12] The STC vacated some positions in Aden on 17 August 2019. [13]

Continued clashes

Clashes continued with lower intensity in Aden on 16 August 2019 after STC forces refused to withdraw from some of their captured positions. [14] On 21 August, the UAE rejected allegations that it was behind the developments in Aden. [15]

On 28 August 2019, Hadi-led forces recaptured most of the neighborhoods they had lost to the STC, including Aden's International Airport. [16] [17] By the next day, however, STC forces recaptured most of Aden again. The Hadi-led government accused the UAE of launching airstrikes against its troops, killing at least 30 troops. [18] [19] [20]

Clashes elsewhere in Yemen

Clashes between the STC and Hadi forces erupted in Shabwah Governorate on 22 August 2019 after STC forces refused to withdraw from al-Akaf checkpoint. There were dead and wounded in the clashes which included heavy weapons. The Hadi government accused the command of the STC for blowing up the situation in Shabwah. [21] [22] [23]

Clashes occurred in Abyan Governorate on 20 August 2019 after STC forces took control of a camp in Az Zanjabar; several were killed in the clashes. [24] [25]

Peace agreement

On 5 November 2019, the Riyadh Agreement was signed by the warring sides, leading to an official end to the conflict and fighting. [26] Despite this, tensions continued to increase between both sides and the STC withdrew from the peace deal in August 2022. [27]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden</span> Port city and temporary capital of Yemen

Aden is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km east of the Bab-el-Mandeb strait and north of the Gulf of Aden. With its strategic location on the coastline, Aden serves as a gateway between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, making it a crucial maritime hub connecting Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. As of 2023, Aden City has a population of approximately 1,080,000 residents, making it one of the largest cities in Yemen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Yemen insurgency</span> 2009–2014 separatist protests and attacks on government forces

The South Yemen insurgency is a term used by the Yemeni government to describe the protests and attacks on government forces in southern Yemen, ongoing since 27 April 2009. Although the violence has been blamed on elements within the southern secessionist movement, leaders of the group maintain that their aims of independence are to be achieved through peaceful means, and claim that attacks are from ordinary citizens in response to the government's provocative actions. The insurgency comes amid the Shia insurgency in the country's north as led by the Houthi communities. Southern leaders led a brief, unsuccessful secession in 1994 following unification. Many of them are involved in the present secession movement. Southern separatist insurgents are active mainly in the area of former South Yemen, but also in Ad Dali' Governorate, which was not a part of the independent southern state. They are supported by the United Arab Emirates, even though the UAE is a member of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition working to support the Yemeni government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Movement</span> Yemeni southern separatist movement and organization

The Southern Movement, sometimes known as the Southern Separatist Movement, or South Yemen Movement, or Aden Movement, and colloquially known as al-Hirak, is a political movement and paramilitary organization active in the south of Yemen since 2007, demanding secession from the Republic of Yemen and a return to the former independent state of South Yemen. At present, its best-known political offshoot, the Southern Transitional Council led by Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, is the de facto leadership across many provinces of the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed Ali al-Ahwal</span> Yemeni banker and diplomat

Mohammed Ali Mohsen al-Ahwal (12 December 1950 – 13 December 2013) was a Yemeni banker and diplomat who headed the Central Bank of Yemen from 1985 to 1995, and held various other senior government positions. He was Ambassador to Saudi Arabia between 2005 and 2012. In March 2011 he publicly sided with the youth protesters who were demanding a change of government during the Yemeni Revolution.

Vehicle registration plates of Yemen started in 1993. The current version started in 2018 using FE-Schrift typeface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saleh Ali al-Sammad</span> Former de facto President of Yemen

Saleh Ali al-Sammad was a Yemeni political figure from the Houthi movement who served as the chairman of Yemen's Supreme Political Council and the de facto President of Yemen until his assassination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyan campaign</span> Campaign of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan campaign was a campaign for control of the Abyan Governorate of Yemen, between the Houthis and Yemen Army units loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh on one side, and militiamen and Yemen Army units loyal to Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on the other side, supported by jihadists of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The Pro-Hadi Forces recaptured the Abyan Governorate on 11 August 2015, after launching an offensive on pro-Houthi forces in early August.

This is a detailed timeline of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) which lasted from 2014 to 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aden unrest (2015–2019)</span> Conflict in southern Yemen between government, separatists and Islamists

The Aden unrest was a 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.

The following is a timeline of the Yemeni civil war, which began in September 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Transitional Council</span> Armed faction in Yemeni Civil War

The Southern Transitional Council is a secessionist organization in South Yemen. The 26 members of the STC include the governors of five southern governorates and two government ministers. It was formed by a faction of the Southern Movement, also known as al-Hirak al-Janoubi. The Southern Movement was established in 2007, during the term of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and it has called for and worked toward the separation of southern Yemen from the rest of the nation.

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Aden (2018)</span> Capture of the Yemeni city by the Southern Transitional Council

The Battle of Aden was a conflict between the Southern Transitional Council (STC) and the Yemeni government around the headquarters in Aden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Hudaydah offensive</span> Offensive of the Yemeni Civil War

Al Hudaydah offensive, also called Western Coast Offensive, describes the offensive launched in December 2017 by pro-government forces against the Houthis in Al Hudaydah Governorate as part of Yemen's 2015 civil war. As of December 2018, the pro-government forces have captured the towns of Al Khawkhah, Hays, At Tuhayta, and brokered a ceasefire in Al Hudaydah City. In November 2021, a coalition withdrawal led the Houthi forces to break the siege of Al Hudaydah and recapture At Tuhayta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abyan conflict</span> Clashes of the Yemeni Civil War

The Abyan conflict was 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 between 2016 and 2018.

Abdullatif Al-Sayed Bafaqih was a Southern Yemeni warlord from Abyan who played a major role during the wars against Al-Qaeda after 2012 in Abyan Governorate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tihamah Resistance</span> Western Yemeni anti-Houthi armed group

The Tihamah Resistance is an armed group formed by locals of Yemen's Tihamah Region, aiming to resist Houthi control of the west coast region of Yemen. The group was formed in 2014, when Houthis seized Al Hudaydah and the rest of North-Western Yemen. The group was active in 2015 at the start of the war, participating in the Battle of Taiz on the side of the pro-Hadi coalition. In December 2017, the group took part in the Al Hudaydah governorate offensive, alongside UAE, Saudi, Hadi loyalists and Southern Movement fighters. The group is closely aligned with Tareq Saleh's National Resistance, and the Giants Brigades.

The Riyadh Agreement was signed on 5 November 2019 in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, between Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, representing the Saudi-backed government of Yemen, Muhammad bin Zayid Al Nahyan, representing the United Arab Emirates, and Aydarus az-Zubaydi, representing the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC). It followed the Southern Yemen clashes of August 2019, with the goal of ending the fighting and establishing a united front against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, dominant in the north of the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Southern Yemen offensive</span> Military operation during the Yemini Civil War

In August 2022, forces of Yemen's Emirati-backed separatist Southern Movement, mainly represented by the Southern Transitional Council, launched an offensive in the Abyan and Shabwah provinces. Initially, the Southern forces mostly fought against Saudi-backed government forces, most of which belonged to the armed wing of the Islah party. Since early September 2022, however, the Southern Movement's offensive has become more focused on battling local al-Qaeda strongholds.

On March 23, 2022, Houthis assassinated Yemeni army commander Thabet Gawas and three others in a car bombing in Aden, Yemen.

References

  1. 1 2 "Yemen to take legal measures against UAE". Middle East Monitor. September 2, 2019.
  2. @aawsat_News (August 11, 2019). "#عاجل من #اليمن | #الأمم_المتحدة: مقتل 40 شخصا وإصابة 260 بجروح في اشتباكات #عدن http://aawsat.com pic.twitter.com/aoOQ7C3vjF" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. al-Batati, Sune Engel Rasmussen and Saleh (August 7, 2019). "Yemen Separatists Storm Presidential Palace in Aden". WSJ. Retrieved 2019-09-13.
  4. "Houthis Kill Top UAE-Backed Separatist Yemeni Commander". Washington Institute. August 1, 2019.
  5. @SkyNewsArabia_B (August 7, 2019). "مراسلنا: مقتل 3 أشخاص وإصابة 10 على الأقل جراء اشتباكات وقعت في عدن عقب تشييع جثامين ضحايا الهجوم الصاروخي الحوثي على معسكر الجلاء" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  6. @AJABreaking (August 9, 2019). "عاجل | مصادر للجزيرة: قوات الحكومة الشرعية اليمنية تسيطر على معظم أحياء مدينة كريتر" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  7. "20 killed during fight between Yemeni forces & separatists in Aden city". radio.gov.pk. August 10, 2019.
  8. @AlArabiya_Brk (August 10, 2019). "مصادر العربية تفيد بسيطرة مسلحي المجلس الانتقالي على معسكر بدر في عدن #العربية_عاجل https://www.alarabiya.net" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  9. عربية-عاجل, سكاي نيوز (August 10, 2019). "مراسلنا: قوات الحزام الأمني تستكمل سيطرتها على القصر الرئاسي في عدن بعد مفاوضات مع الجنود الذين كانوا بداخله".
  10. "Saudi-led coalition launches strike against "threat" to Yemen govt". Agence France-Presse. August 10, 2019.
  11. @AlArabiya_Brk (August 11, 2019). "رئيس المجلس الانتقالي في عدن: ملتزمون بوقف إطلاق النار الذي دعا له التحالف #العربية_عاجل https://www.alarabiya.net" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  12. @AlArabiya_Brk (August 12, 2019). "محمد بن زايد: الإمارات والسعودية في خندق واحد في مواجهة القوى التي تهدد أمن المنطقة #العربية_عاجل https://www.alarabiya.net" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  13. agency, AFP news (August 17, 2019). "#BREAKING Separatists vacate some positions in Yemen's Aden: officialspic.twitter.com/ZYwCFEvefK".
  14. Ahmed, Summer (August 16, 2019). "Saudi fighter jets dropping warning flares over Aden after Security Belt refused to hand over camps. #SouthYemenpic.twitter.com/ZdJQi8u8Zu".
  15. @aawsat_News (August 21, 2019). "#عاجل | #الإمارات ترفض بشكل قاطع المزاعم بشأن موقفها إزاء التطورات في #عدن http://aawsat.com pic.twitter.com/3XMbNwIHsQ" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  16. "Yemen's govt forces take control of Aden airport - information minister". Reuters. August 28, 2019 via www.reuters.com.
  17. Politics, P. M. N. (August 28, 2019). "Yemen government forces storm Aden, seize airport – residents, officials | National Post".
  18. "Hadi urges Saudi intervention to stop UAE support for separatists". aljazeera.com. August 29, 2019.
  19. agency, AFP news (August 29, 2019). "#BREAKING Yemen government accuses UAE of launching air strikes against its troopspic.twitter.com/cN1ZDeRQgv".
  20. "Yemen colonel: Airstrikes kill at least 30 troops near Aden - NEWS 1130". citynews1130.com. August 29, 2019.
  21. عاجل, الجزيرة- (August 22, 2019). "عاجل | الحكومة اليمنية تتهم قيادة القوات الإماراتية في بلحاف بتفجير الوضع في شبوة".
  22. عاجل, الجزيرة- (August 22, 2019). "عاجل | مصادر محلية: توسع الاشتباكات بين القوات الحكومية والنخبة الشبوانية بمدينة عتق لتشمل الأسلحة الثقيلة".
  23. @AlArabiya_Brk (August 22, 2019). "اليمن.. قتلى وجرحى في اشتباكات في شبوة بين الشرعية والمجلس الانتقالي #العربية_عاجل https://www.alarabiya.net" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  24. عاجل, الجزيرة- (August 20, 2019). "عاجل | قوات المجلس الانتقالي المدعومة إماراتيا تحاصر معسكري القوات الخاصة بزنجبار والشرطة العسكرية في أبين باليمن".
  25. عاجل, الميادين (August 19, 2019). "#اليمن: وزارة الخارجية في حكومة هادي: سيطرة قوات الانتقالي الجنوبي على معسكر الأمن في أبين جنوب اليمن تصعيد غير مبرر".
  26. "The Riyadh Agreement" (PDF). Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Washington, DC. December 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  27. "Yemen's southern separatists withdraw from Riyadh peace deal". Al Jazeera English . 26 August 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.