Aid Requested as Thousands Flee Clashes in Yemen

By Eric C. Sigmund
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

SANA’A, Yemen – More than 8,000 civilians were forced to flee their homes as Yemeni forces launched an assault on a suspected al-Qaeda stronghold in the town of Hota in Shabwa province.  The government contends that over 100 al-Qaeda fighters were hiding in the town.  The outbreak in fighting comes as John Brennan, President Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor, was visiting Yemen. 

Authorities suspect that radical Muslim cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-Yemeni citizen wanted by the U.S. has been hiding in his home province of Shabwa.  Analysts have been monitoring the development of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) which has considerable influence in the country’s tribal regions.   AQAP is responsible for a series of attacks inside Yemen, the latest happening in June.  Today, the government detailed that it had engaged “armed elements” of al-Qaeda inside the town killing at least three militants. 

The government has been giving notice to citizens since Saturday urging them to flee in anticipation of the anti-terror offensive.  Civilians fled to nearby towns creating cramped conditions.  The Red Crescent has been calling for food and medical supplies to support the growing populations.

This attack is just the latest in a larger campaign against AQAP within Yemen.  With U.S. military and intelligence support, the Yemeni government has been able to step up its attacks against al-Qaeda in the last year.   Yemen remains critical battlefield in the War on Terror as al-Qaeda continues to grow its ranks in the region.   The Christmas Day Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was found to have spent time training in Yemen.   

Last month fighting in Loder left 19 militants and 11 Yemeni soldiers dead.   The United States has expressed its confidence in the Yemeni government stating that it is “convinced” that the government can defeat the militant forces.   As the government steps up its military strategy it must remain aware that it not only has to manage the conflict but also the humanitarian fallout. 

For more information, please see:

Agence France Presse – South Yemen Clashes Send Thousands Fleeing: Govt Official – 20 Sept. 2010

BBC Middle East – Thousands Flee Fighting in Yemen’s Shabwa Province – 20 Sept. 2010

CNN – Obama Counterterror Aid Visits Yemen – 20 Sept. 2010

Reuters Africa – Thousands Flee in Qaeda Clashes in South Yemen – 20 Sept. 2010

Agence France Press – Yemen Troops Kill Two at Checkpoint in Troubled Town – 19 Sept. 2010

Author: Impunity Watch Archive