ConflictBarometer_2016

MIDDLE EAST AND MAGHREB
temporary capital Aden. In July 2015, the military had depended
on the help of the SMM and affiliated groups to drive
the al-Houthis out of Aden.
Since then, several militant groups, among them the so-called
Islamic State [→ Syria, Iraq et al. (IS)], al-Qaeda on the Arabian
Peninsula [→ Yemen (AQAP, Ansar al-Sharia)] and Salafi
groups, repeatedly carried out assassinations and IED-attacks
against civilians, government and security personnel as well
as against SMM fighters. Leaders of the SMM, despite supporting
the government of President Hadi against the al-
Houthis, continued to demand an independent South Yemen
[→ Yemen (SMM / South Yemen)].
Throughout the year, Hadi government and military employees
did not receive wages for months. Several demonstrations
sparked all over the country, some of which turned
violent. People gathered in several cities to protest unpaid
wages, corruption, and ongoing shortages of electricity, oil
and water. On May 22, police forces killed one civilian and
wounded several others when trying to disperse dozens of
protesters in Aden city.
Both journalists and humanitarian workers were among the
casualties of the conflict. According to Reporters without Borders,
the al-Houthis were responsible for the most abductions
of journalists worldwide, second only to the Islamic State. A
coalition airstrike hit an MSF hospital in Hajjah governorate
on August 15, killing 19 people and wounding another 24.
mkp, kpb
201