Yemeni Civil War (2015)

The Yemeni Civil War is an ongoing conflict between two factions claiming to constitute the Yemeni government, along with their supporters and allies. Southern separatists and forces loyal to the government of Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, based in Aden, have clashed with Houthi forces and forces loyal to the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have also carried out attacks, with AQAP controlling swaths of territory in the hinterlands, and along stretches of the coast.

On 22 March 2015, a Houthi offensive began with fighting in the Taiz Governorate. By 25 March, Taiz, Mocha, and Lahij fell to the Houthis and they reached the outskirts of Aden, the seat of power for Hadi's government. On 25 March, Hadi fled the country. On the same day, a coalition led by Saudi Arabia launched military operations by using airstrikes to restore the former Yemeni government and the United States provided intelligence and logistical support for the campaign. As of 7 April, at least 310 people have died in Aden.

Background
Ansar Allah, known popularly as the Houthis, a Zaidi group with its origins in the mountainous Sa'dah Governorate on Yemen's northern border with Saudi Arabia, began waging a low-level insurgency against the Yemeni government in 2004. The intensity of the conflict waxed and waned over the course of the 2000s, with multiple peace agreements being negotiated and later disregarded. The insurgency heated up in 2009, briefly drawing in neighbouring Saudi Arabia on the side of the Yemeni government, but quieted down again the following year after a ceasefire was signed. During the early stages of the Yemeni Revolution in 2011, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi declared the group's support for demonstrations calling for the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Later in the year, as Saleh prepared to leave office, the Houthis laid siege to the Sunni-majority village of Dammaj in northern Yemen, a step toward attaining virtual autonomy for Sa'dah.

The Houthis boycotted a single-candidate election in early 2012 meant to give Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi a two-year term of office. They participated in a National Dialogue Conference, but withheld support from a final accord in early 2014 that extended Hadi's mandate in office for another year. Meanwhile, the conflict between the Houthis and Sunni tribes in northern Yemen spread to other governorates, including the Sana'a Governorate by mid-2014. After several weeks of street protests against the Hadi administration, which made cuts to fuel subsidies that were unpopular with the group, the Houthis came to blows with Yemen Army forces under the command of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar. In a battle that lasted only a few days, Houthi fighters seized control of Sana'a, the Yemeni capital, in September 2014. The Houthis forced Hadi to negotiate an agreement to end the violence, in which the government resigned and the Houthis gained an unprecedented level of influence over state institutions and politics.

In January 2015, unhappy with a proposal to split the country into six federal regions, Houthi fighters seized the presidential compound in Sana'a. The power play prompted the resignation of President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and his ministers. The Houthi political leadership then announced the dissolution of parliament and the formation of a Revolutionary Committee to govern the country on 6 February 2015.

On 21 February, one month after Houthi militants confined Hadi to his residence in Sana'a, he slipped out of the capital and traveled to Aden, the old capital of South Yemen. In a televised address from his hometown, he declared that the Houthi takeover was illegitimate and indicated he remained the constitutional president of Yemen. His predecessor as president, Ali Abdullah Saleh—who had been widely suspected of aiding the Houthis during their takeover of Sana'a the previous year—publicly denounced Hadi and called on him to go into exile.

Allegations of outside support
The Houthis have long been accused of being proxies for Iran, which shares their Shia faith. The United States and Saudi Arabia have alleged that the Houthis receive weapons and training from Iran. The Houthis and Iranian government have denied any affiliation. The African nation of Eritrea has also been accused of funneling Iranian material to the Houthis, as well as offering medical care for injured Houthi fighters. The Eritrean government has called the allegations "groundless" and said after the outbreak of open hostilities that it views the Yemeni crisis "as an internal matter". Documents from wikileaks suggest that privately US officials believe that allegations of Iranian support for the Houthis have been overstated by the Yemeni Government for political reasons.

The Yemeni government, meanwhile, has enjoyed significant international backing from the United States and Gulf Arab monarchies. U.S. drone strikes were conducted regularly in Yemen during Hadi's presidency in Sana'a, usually targeting Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The United States was also a major supplier of weapons to the Yemeni government, although according to the Pentagon, hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of that materiel has gone missing since it was delivered. Saudi Arabia provided financial aid to Yemen until late 2014, when it suspended it amid the Houthis' takeover of Sana'a and increasing influence over the Yemeni government.

Conflict begins
Troops loyal to Hadi clashed with those who refused to recognise his authority in a battle for Aden International Airport on 19 March. The forces under General Abdul-Hafez al-Saqqaf were defeated, and al-Saqqaf himself reportedly fled toward Sana'a. In apparent retaliation for the routing of al-Saqqaf, warplanes reportedly flown by Houthi pilots bombed Hadi's compound in Aden. After the 2015 Sana'a mosque bombings on 20 March 2015, in a televised speech, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis, said his group's decision to mobilize for war was "imperative" under current circumstances and that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and its affiliates—among whom he counts Hadi—would be targeted, as opposed to southern Yemen and its citizens. President Hadi declared Aden to be Yemen's temporary capital while Sana'a remained under Houthi control.

Also, the same day as the mosque bombings, al-Qaeda militants captured the provincial capital of al-Houta after killing about 20 soldiers, before being driven out several hours later.

Political developments
Hadi reiterated in a speech on 21 March that he was the legitimate president of Yemen and declared, "We will restore security to the country and hoist the flag of Yemen in Sana'a, instead of the Iranian flag." He also officially declared Aden to be Yemen's "economic and temporary capital" due to the Houthi occupation of Sana'a, which he pledged would be retaken.

In Sana'a, the Houthi Revolutionary Committee appointed Major General Hussein Khairan as Yemen's new defence minister and placed him in overall command of the military offensive.

Control of Taiz
Houthi forces backed by troops loyal to Saleh entered Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, on 22 March and quickly took over key points in the city. They encountered little resistance, although one protester was shot dead and five more were injured. Western media outlets began to suggest Yemen was sliding into civil war as the Houthis from the north confronted holdouts in the south.

Western advance
On 23 March, Houthi forces advanced towards the strategic Bab-el-Mandeb strait, a vital corridor through which much of the world’s maritime trade passes. The next day, fighters from the group reportedly entered the port of Mocha. On 31 March, Houthi fighters entered a coastal military base on the strait after the 17th Armoured Division of the Yemen Army opened the gates and turned over weapons to them.

On 2 April, Mahamoud Ali Youssouf, the foreign minister of Djibouti, said the Houthis placed heavy weapons and fast attack boats on Perim and a smaller island in the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. He warned that the weapons posed "a big danger" to his country, commercial shipping traffic, and military vessels.

Battle of Ad Dali'
Houthi forces seized administrative buildings in Ad Dali' amid heavy fighting on 24 March, bringing them closer to Aden. However, Houthi fighters were swiftly dislodged from Ad Dali' and Kirsh by Hadi-loyal forces.

Fighting over Ad Dali' continued even as the Houthis advanced further south and east. On 31 March, secessionist fighters clashed with the Houthis and army units loyal to Saleh. The next day, a pro-Houthi army brigade was said to have "disintegrated" after being pummeled by coalition warplanes in Ad Dali. The commander of the 33rd Brigade reportedly fled, and groups of pro-Houthi troops withdrew to the north.

Fighting in Lahij
In the Lahij Governorate, heavy fighting erupted between Houthis and pro-Hadi fighters on 24 March. The next day, Al Anad Air Base, 60 kilometers from Aden, was captured by the Houthis and their allies. The base had recently been abandoned by United States of America US SOCOM troops. Defence Minister Mahmoud al-Subaihi, one of Hadi's top lieutenants, was captured by the Houthis in Al Houta and transferred to Sana'a. Houthi fighters also advanced to Dar Saad, a small town, 20 km north of Aden.

On 26 March, after clashes erupted in Aden, Hadi loyalists counterattacked as a military intervention got underway. Artillery shelled Al Anad Air Base, forcing some of its Houthi occupants to flee the area. Saudi airstrikes also hit Al Anad. Despite the airstrikes, however, the southern offensive continued.

Fighting reaches Aden
In Aden, military officials said militias and military units loyal to Hadi had "fragmented" by 25 March, speeding the rebel advance. They said the rebels were fighting Hadi's troops on five different fronts. Aden International Airport suspended all flights.

Fighting reached Aden's outskirts on 25 March, with pro-Saleh soldiers taking over Aden International Airport and clashes erupting at an army base. Hadi reportedly fled his "temporary capital" by boat as the unrest worsened. The next day, he resurfaced in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he arrived by plane and was met by Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman Al Saud.

Over the following days, Houthi and allied army forces encircled Aden and hemmed in Hadi's holdouts, although they encountered fierce resistance from the embattled president's loyalists and armed city residents. They began pressing into the city center on 29 March despite coalition airstrikes and shelling from Egyptian Navy warships offshore. On 2 April, the compound that has been used as a temporary presidential palace was taken by the Houthis, and fighting moved into the central Crater and Al Mualla districts.

Abyan Governorate
The Houthis racked up a series of victories in the Abyan Governorate east of Aden in the days following their entrance into Hadi's provisional capital, taking control of Shuqrah and Zinjibar on the coast and winning the allegiance of a local army brigade, but they also encountered resistance from both pro-Hadi army brigadiers and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula militants.

Hadhramaut Governorate
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula took control of Al Mukalla in the eastern Hadhramaut Governorate on 2 April, driving out soldiers defending the city with mortar fire and springing some 300 inmates from prison, including a local al Qaeda leader. Local tribal fighters aligned with Hadi surrounded and entered Al Mukalla two days later, retaking parts of the city and clashing with both al-Qaeda militants and army troops. Still, the militants remained in control of about half of the town. In addition, al-Qaeda fighters captured a border post with Saudi Arabia in an attack that killed two soldiers.

On 9 April, al-Qaeda captured the town of al-Siddah, which had been held by the Houthis for the previous two months.

On 13 April, Southern militia said they took control of the army base loyal to the Houthis near Balhaf.

Lahij Governorate
Although the Houthis took control of Lahij on the road to Aden, resistance continued in the Lahij Governorate. Ambushes and bombings struck Houthi supply lines to the Aden front, with a landmine killing a reported 25 Houthi fighters on their way to Aden on 28 March.

Shabwah Governorate
Fighting also centered on the Shabwa Province, in the oil-rich Usaylan region, where Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Ansar al-Sharia hold sway. On 29 March, 38 were killed in fighting between the Houthis and Sunni tribesmen. Tribal sources confirmed the death toll, and claimed only eight of them were from their side, with the other 30 either Houthis or their allies from the Yemeni military.

On 9 April, the Houthis and their allies seized the provincial capital of Ataq. The takeover was facilitated by local tribal chiefs and security officials.

Elsewhere
In the province of Ma'rib, six members of Sunni tribes were killed during fighting against Houthis on 22 March. The next day, 15 Houthis and 5 tribesmen were killed in clashes in the Al Bayda Governorate.

Armed tribesmen drove off Houthis who had set up a makeshift camp in southern Ibb Governorate and seized their weapons on 7 April.

On 15 April, Yemeni military sources reported that 5 pro-Saleh military brigades defected, with one of them battling Houthis in Taiz Governorate.

Between 17 and 18 April, at least 30 people were killed when the Houthis and allied army units attacked a pro-Hadi military base in Taiz. The dead included 8–16 pro-Hadi and 14–19 Houthi fighters, as well as three civilians. Another report put the number of dead at 85.

Military intervention
In response to rumours that Saudi Arabia could intervene in Yemen, Houthi commander Ali al-Shami boasted on 24 March that his forces would invade the larger kingdom and not stop at Mecca, but rather Riyadh.

The following evening, Saudi Arabia began a military intervention alongside eight other Arab states and with the logistical support of the United States against the Houthis, bombing positions throughout Sana'a. In a joint statement, the nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council (with the exception of Oman) said they decided to intervene against the Houthis in Yemen at the request of Hadi's government. King Salman of Saudi Arabia declared the Royal Saudi Air Force to be in full control of Yemeni airspace within hours of the operation beginning. The airstrikes were aimed at hindering the Houthis' advance toward Hadi's stronghold in southern Yemen.

Al Jazeera reported that Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi commander appointed in February as President of the Revolutionary Committee, was injured by an airstrike in Sana'a on the first night of the campaign.

According to Reuters, planes from Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain are also taking part in the operation. Iran condemned the Saudi-led airstrikes and urged an immediate end to attacks on Yemen. Saudi Arabia requested that Pakistan commit forces as well, but Pakistan's parliament officially voted to remain neutral.

Arab League
In Egypt, the Yemeni foreign minister called for an Arab League military intervention against the Houthis. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi floated the idea of a unified military force.

The Arab League announced the formation of a unified military force to respond to conflict in Yemen and Libya.

Humanitarian situation
CNN reported on 8 April that almost 10,160,000 Yemenis were deprived of water, food, and electricity as a result of the conflict. The report also added per sources from UNICEF officials in Yemen that within 15 days, some 100,000 people across the country were dislocated, while Oxfam said that more than 10 million Yemenis did not have enough food to eat, in addition to 850,000 half-starved children. Over 13 million civilians were without access to clean water.

A medical aid boat brought 2.5 tonnes of medicine to Aden on 8 April. A UNICEF plane loaded with 16 tonnes of supplies landed in Sana'a on 10 April.

The United Nations announced on 19 April that Saudi Arabia promised to provide $273.7 million in emergency humanitarian aid to Yemen. The UN appealed for the aid, saying 7.5 million people had been affected by the conflict and many were in need of medical supplies, potable water, food, shelter, and other forms of support.

Refugees
Djibouti, a small country in the Horn of Africa across the Bab-el-Mandeb strait from Yemen, has received an influx of refugees since the start of the campaign. Refugees also fled from Yemen to Somalia, arriving by sea in Somaliland and Puntland starting 28 March. On 16 April 2015, 2,695 refugees of 48 nationalities were reported to have fled to Oman in the past two weeks.

Evacuation of foreign nationals
The Royal Saudi Navy evacuated diplomats and United Nations staff from Aden to Jeddah on 28 March.

Pakistan dispatched two special PIA flights to evacuate some 500 stranded Pakistanis on 29 March 2015. Several UN staff members and Arab diplomats were also evacuated following the airstrikes.

The Indian government responded by deploying ships and planes to Yemen to evacuate stranded Indians. India began evacuating its citizens on 2 April by sea. An air evacuation of Indian nationals from Sana'a to Djibouti was started on 3 April, after the Indian government obtained permission to land two Airbus A320s at the airport. The Indian Armed Forces carried out rescue operation codenamed Operation Raahat and evacuated more than 4640 overseas Indians in Yemen along with 960 foreign nationals of 41 countries. The air evaculation ended on 9 April 2015 while the evacuation by sea ended on 11 April 2015. The United States has assets in the region, but through its Yemen diplomatic mission website, instructed its citizens to evacuate using Indian assistance.

A Chinese missile frigate docked in Aden on 29 March to evacuate Chinese nationals from Yemen. The ship reportedly deployed soldiers ashore on 2 April to guard the evacuation of civilians from the city. Hundreds of Chinese and other foreign nationals were safely evacuated aboard the frigate in the first operation of its kind carried out by the Chinese military. The Philippines have announced that 240 Filipinos were evacuated across the Saudi border to Jizan, before boarding flights to Riyadh and then Manilla.

The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry said it would airlift its citizens out of Yemen if they requested to be evacuated. There were reportedly more than 50,000 Ethiopian nationals living and working in Yemen at the outbreak of hostilities. More than 3,000 Ethiopians registered to evacuate from Yemen, and as of 17 April, the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry had confirmed 200 evacuees to date.

United Nations response
The United Nations representative Valerie Amos, Baroness Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said on 2 April that she was "extremely concerned" about the fate of civilians trapped in fierce fighting, after aid agencies reported 519 people killed and 1,700 injured in two weeks. The UN children's agency reported 62 children killed and 30 injured and also children being recruited as soldiers.

Russia called for "humanitarian pauses" in the coalition bombing campaign, bringing the idea before the United Nations Security Council in a 4 April emergency meeting. However, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations questioned whether humanitarian pauses would be the best way of delivering humanitarian assistance.

On 14 April, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution placing sanctions on Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and Ahmed Ali Saleh, establishing an arms embargo on the Houthis, and calling on the Houthis to quit Sana'a and other areas they seized. The Houthis condemned the UN resolution and called for mass protests.

Jamal Benomar, the UN envoy to Yemen who brokered the deal that ended Ali Abdullah Saleh's presidency during the 2011–12 revolution, resigned on 15 April. The UN said it would name a new envoy.

Other calls for ceasefire
On 4 April, the International Committee of the Red Cross called for a 24-hour ceasefire to deliver aid and supplies after the Saudi-led coalition blocked three aid shipments to Yemen.

On 5 April, Reuters quoted a Houthi leader as saying the group would be willing to sit down for peace talks if the airstrikes stopped and a neutral party acted as mediator.

On 7 April, China added its support of a ceasefire in Yemen, following an appeal by the ICRC and Russia for a humanitarian pause.

Despite Saudi Arabia putting immense pressure on Pakistan to join the coalition, the Pakistan government has also called for a ceasefire in order to help negotiate a diplomatic solution. Alongside with Turkey, Pakistan has been taken initiatives to arrange a ceasefire in Yemen. Analysis written in U.S. News, Pakistan's strategic calculations firmly believes that if the Saudis enter into a ground war in Yemen– with or without Pakistani military– it will become a stalemate; therefore, Pakistan is increasing its efforts to potentially help engineer a face-saving solution to achieve a ceasefire and end the war.

On 12 April, Saudi Arabia rejected Iran's request about a ceasefire in Yemen. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, at a news conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius, that "Saudi Arabia is a responsible for establishing legitimate government in Yemen and Iran should not interfere."

Australia called for the ceasefire in Yemen, because of the civilian casualties numbers.

On 16 April, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon requested an immediate ceasefire in Yemen. Also he said all parties must to stop war as soon as possible.

Other developments
Armed Houthis ransacked Al Jazeera's news bureau in Sana'a on 27 March, amid Qatar's participation in the military intervention against the group. The Qatari news channel condemned the attack on its bureau.

On 28 March, Ali Abdullah Saleh stated neither he nor anyone in his family would run for president, despite recent campaigning by his supporters for his son Ahmed to seek the presidency. He also called on Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to step down as president and said new elections should be held.

Rumours about Saleh's whereabouts have swirled during the conflict. Foreign Minister Riyad Yassin, a Hadi loyalist, claimed on 4 April that Saleh left Yemen aboard a Russian aircraft evacuating foreign nationals from Sana'a International Airport. Later in the month, Saleh reportedly asked the Saudi-led coalition for a "safe exit" for himself and his family, but the request was turned down.

Media reports have noted that the civil war has reached nearly all of Yemen, with one notable exception being the remote Indian Ocean archipelago of Socotra.