ConflictBarometer_2015

MIDDLE EAST AND MAGHREB
Further assassinations by militants riding motorcycles targeted
members of the security forces, including one in
Hawta, Lahij, on March 6, another security officer in al-
Qatan, Hadramawt, on March 10, and a deputy director of
political security in Hudaydah city, al-Hudaydah, on April
16.
In the course of the year, Ansar al Sharia was targeted by
US drone strikes, the first of which killed three AQAP
members in Harib, Shabwah, on January 20. Another four
militants were killed in a drone strike on January 31 in al-
Said, Shabwah, among them senior AQAP leader Harith bin
Ghazi al-Nadhari. After AQAP leader Nasser al Wahayshi has
been killed in a US airstrike, presumably on June 9, he was
replaced by Qasim al Raymi. At least 19 further airstrikes
hit AQAP-related targets over the year, killing at least 50
militants and destroying several vehicles. During a major
attack in al-Mukalla on April 2, militants freed 300
prisoners, looted the central bank, clashed with security
forces and the military, and also
established checkpoints in the city. During the fights, which
also continued the next day, AQAP militants set the prison
on fire and reportedly killed five guards. Another Ansar al
Sharia attack on a prison in Ataq, Shabwah, resulted in the
escape of 60 prisoners on April 9, among them AQAPfighters.
AQAP militants allegedly robbed several banks. For
instance, on January 6, USD 200,000 were obtained in a
robbing in al-Mukalla, Hadramawt. In the same city, three
government vehicles were ambushed and robbed on
January 13 by suspected Ansar al Sharia affiliates. On May
2 and 3, demon-strations against AQAP presence took place
in al-Mukalla. AQAP also took full or partial control of
several cities. For instance, by October 10, Ansar al
Sharia reportedly seized Tawahi, one of the largest districts
in Aden. On October 14, militants captured a government
complex in Zinjibar, a port city in the southern Abyan
governorate. Furthermore, they seized Abyan's regional
capital Zinjibar and nearby Jaar on December 2. kpb
YEMEN (SMM / SOUTH YEMEN)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2009
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
SMM vs. government
secession
The violent crisis over secession between the Southern Mobility
Movement (SMM) and the government continued in the
beginning of 2015. However, since the start of the Saudi-led
intervention against al-Houthi rebels on March 26, SMM
shifted its focus towards fighting the al-Houthis [→ Yemen,
Saudi Arabia (al-Houthi)].
President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi reached an agreement
with al-Houthi rebels on January 21 to grant both the al-
Houthis and SMM more representation in state institutions.
Hadi resigned from office the next day [→ Yemen, Saudi
Arabia (al-Houthi)]. In reaction to the agreement, several
governorates announced that they would no longer follow
directives from the capital Sana'a. On January 30, an
unknown number of people was killed in a clash between
the Yemeni military and SMM fighters in al-Milah, Lahij
Governorate.
In the late March, pro-Hadi forces supported by SMM members
clashed with al-Houthi and the 33rd Armored Brigade
in al-Dhaleh, eponymous governorate. At least eight people
were reportedly killed in the fighting.
Throughout the rest of the year, members of SMM fought as
part of popular resistance forces against the al-Houthi
forces. This could for example be seen on December 31,
when an unknown gunmen shot dead five people in Aden,
Aden Gov-ernorate. Among them was Ahmed al-Idrisi, an
SMM leader and commander of popular resistance forces.
kpb
YEMEN (TRIBES / MA'RIB)
Intensity: 3 | Change: | Start: 2012
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
militant tribesmen vs. government
autonomy
The violent crisis over autonomy between local tribes in the
Ma'rib governorate and the government continued in the beginning
of 2015. However, since the start of the Saudi-led
intervention against al-Houthi rebels on March 26, the tribes
shifted their focus towards fighting the al-Houthis [→
Yemen, Saudi Arabia (al-Houthi)].
On January 1, tribal militants attacked a military convoy
headed towards al-Houthi-controlled areas in Nakhla, Ma'rib.
During the fights, an estimated 15 people were killed. On
February 13, local militants seized a military camp and captured
weapons without resistance as soldiers surrendered
and retreated. Militants from the Obeidah tribe clashed with
the military on February 25 near Ma'rib city, injuring three
soldiers. Attacks on pipelines continued throughout the year.
Allegedly, tribal militants bombed an oil pipeline in Asilan,
Shabwah governorate, and furthermore sabotaged a natural
gas facility in Ma'rib on March 4. On April 20, eight
people were reportedly killed in fights with Yemeni soldiers
in Safir along the border of the governorates Hadramawt
and Ma'rib. kpb
YEMEN, SAUDI ARABIA (AL-HOUTHI)
Intensity: 5 | Change: | Start: 2004
Conflict parties:
Conflict items:
al-Houthi militants, troops loyal to
Saleh vs. popular resistance forces,
Sunni tribal forces, Yemen, Saudi Arabia
national power, subnational predomonance
predominance
The war over national power between the al-Houthi
mili-tant group, on the one hand, and the
government of Yemen supported by Saudi Arabia, on
the other, saw great shifts in 2015.
On March 26, after the Yemeni government fled the
country, a Saudi-led coalition intervened and became
a dominant actor in the conflict. Numerous actors
previously fighting the government of Yemeni President
Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi turned against the al-
Houthis. The clashes between al-Houthi forces and
Saudi troops over subnational predominance on the
Yemeni-Saudi border intensified.
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