Archive: yemen
An article for the Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor takes a brief but interesting look at the social roots of al-Qaeda in Yemen.
The author, Murad Batal al-shishani, says al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (as the Yemen-based network is known) is dominated by Yemenis (56%) with… Read more
A demonstrator was shot dead by security forces in Yemen yesterday as he tried to remove a Yemeni flag from a government building and hoist a southern flag in its place during a separatist protest. The shooting, in Radfan (Lahej province), is reported by Reuters and DPA.
Meanwhile,… Read more
Last December, the United States provided "firepower and other aid" for air strikes against suspected al-Qaeda militants in Yemen. At the time it was hailed as a great success. President Obama even phoned President Salih and "praised Yemen's efforts in the fight on terrorism,… Read more
It's strange how Reuters grandly describes the prominent Yemeni separatist, Ali Salim al-Baidh, as "an exiled former president of South Yemen". At a stretch, it's technically correct but it's also misleading.
Al-Baidh was secretary-general of the Socialist Party during the last few years… Read more
Security forces in southern Yemen raided a house in Zinjibar (Abyan province) early on Monday and a gun battle ensued. Several people were killed, including Ali Saleh al-Yafei, his wife and at least two children, plus two or more soldiers. Reports differ on the number of casualties.
According to… Read more
Separatist demonstrations continued in Yemen yesterday, the second of “two days of southern anger” called to send a message to the international donors’ conference in Riyadh.
Twenty-one people were reportedly arrested as result of
Saturday’s protests. The authorities switched… Read more
Thousands took to the streets of southern Yemen yesterday in protests timed to coincide with a meeting of the country’s international donors.
Demonstrations were reported in the main towns of four provinces – Dhali, Lahij, Abyan and Hadramawt – but there seem to have been only minor outbreaks of… Read more
With the suspension of hostilities between the government and the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen, this seems like a suitable moment for a brief update on the continuing separatist troubles in the south.
It is difficult to get an accurate picture because independent reporting of events in the south… Read more
After six months, the latest round in Yemen's pointless war with the Houthi rebels is officially over. An agreed ceasefire was declared at midnight on Thursday.
But a ceasefire is not the same as lasting peace. It doesn't mean the Yemeni government can sit back and do nothing (as is… Read more
On the face of it, the Arab Gulf states have every reason to want to help Yemen: if it finally tips over the brink, they will be among the first to suffer. But while none of them wants to see Yemen turn into another Somalia, the idea of a stable, prosperous Yemen is something they also find rather… Read more