Siege of Dammaj

Siege of Dammaj
Part of Houthi insurgency and Yemeni Revolution

Dar al-Hadith in Dammaj
Date15 October 2011 – 12 January 2014
(2 years, 2 months and 4 weeks)
Location
Dammaj, Saada Governorate, Yemen
Result

Decisive Houthi rebels victory

  • Ceasefire implemented[1]
  • Salafis are driven out of Dammaj[2]
  • Destruction of Dar al-Hadith[3]
Belligerents
Salafi fighters
Yemen Pro-government tribes		 Houthis
Commanders and leaders
Yahya al-Hajouri
Abu Ismail al-Hajouri		 Abu Ali Abdullah al-Hakem al-Houthi
Saleh Habra
Dhaifallah al-Shami
Mohammed Abdulsalam
Strength
7,000 people[4] Unknown
Casualties and losses
+250 killed[1] and 500 wounded[1] +130 killed[5][6][7][8]
+200 people killed & +600 injured in total[9]


The siege of Dammaj began in October 2011 when the Houthis, a rebel group which controls the Saada Governorate, accused Salafis loyal to the Yemeni government of smuggling weapons into their religious center in the town of Dammaj and demanded they hand over their weapons and military posts in the town.[4] As the Salafis refused, Houthi rebels responded by imposing a siege on Dammaj, closing the main entrances leading to the town.[10] The town was controlled by the Houthis and the fighting was mainly centered at Dar al-Hadith religious school, which was operated by Salafis.[11]

In December 2011, a tribal ceasefire was first signed in which both sides temporarily agreed to the removal of all their military checkpoints and barriers around Dammaj. Neutral armed men from the Hashid and Bakil tribes were deployed around the town to ensure both sides adhere to the ceasefire.[1] However, fighting erupted again in October 2013 when Houthis shelled a Salafi mosque and the adjacent Quranic religious school Dar al-Hadith, anticipating an attack from Salafi fighters who had gathered in Dammaj.[12] Houthi rebels later advanced and captured many positions evacuated by the outgunned Salafi fighters and subsequently demolished the symbolic Dar al-Hadith religious school after months of fighting.[13]

The second ceasefire was brokered by the Yemeni government under President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in January 2014.[14] Yemeni troops were deployed to Dammaj and evacuated all Salafi fighters and their families, as well as foreign students to the neighboring governorates, thereby handing over victory to the Houthis.[15]

Media and analysts described the fighting in Dammaj as a sectarian conflict that may have worsened Sunni-Shia relations in Yemen.[16] Other observers believe that the Dammaj siege was representative of a regional contest between Saudi Arabia, who traditionally supported the Salafis, and Iran who backed the Houthi movement.[17]

  1. ^ a b c d Yemen Times Houthis And Salafis Reach Cease Fire Agreement Archived 2011-12-28 at the Wayback Machine, December 26, 2011
  2. ^ "Salafis are driven out of Dammaj - Yemen Post English Newspaper Online". yemenpost.net. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  3. ^ EST, Newsweek On 2/9/15 at 3:41 PM (February 9, 2015). "Rise of the Houthis". Newsweek. Retrieved October 12, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ a b Yemen Times Sectarian conflict looms in Sa’ada Archived 2011-11-13 at the Wayback Machine, October 30, 2011
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference AQAP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference seven was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ahram was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference TPS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "2013 Human Rights and Democracy Report - Yemen". Refworld. 10 April 2014.
  10. ^ Yemen Post Clashes in Sa’ada Between Houthis and Salafis, November 5, 2011
  11. ^ YEMEN: Children at risk as aid access denied, December 6, 2011
  12. ^ "Clashes in Dammaj take a turn for the worse". Yemen Post. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Clashes kill at least 23 in north Yemen". The Daily Star. 5 January 2014. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Yemen deploys troops to monitor ceasefire".
  15. ^ "Yemen moves Salafi leader out of northern stronghold, bolstering truce". Reuters. 14 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Dozens killed in sectarian clashes in northern Yemen". The Hindu. February 2014.
  17. ^ Aboudi, Sami (13 November 2013). "Analysis - Yemen fighting risks deepening sectarian divisions". Reuters.