South Yemen insurgency

South Yemen insurgency
Part of the Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) and the Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

Political and military control in Yemen in March 2024:
  Republic of Yemen, territories controlled by pro-PLC Southern Transitional Council
(For a map of the military situation in Yemen and border areas in Saudi Arabia, see the detailed map here.)
Date27 April 2009 – present
(15 years, 6 months and 3 weeks)
Location
Result Escalated into a Crisis and full-scale civil war with foreign intervention. Southern Transitional Council formed in 2017.
Territorial
changes
STC took over Hadhramaut Governorate, Ad Dali' Governorate, and Aden. (see also a detailed map)
Belligerents

Government

Pro-government tribes[1]

Supported by:

South Yemen Southern Transitional Council (since 2017)

Supported by:

Commanders and leaders

South Yemen Aidarus al-Zoubaidi
South Yemen Hassan Baoum* (POW)
South Yemen Fawaz Baoum* (POW)
South Yemen Tahir Tamah
South Yemen Tareq al-Fadhli
South Yemen Ali Salim al-Beidh
South Yemen Yasin Said Numan
South Yemen Ali Saleh al-Yafee 
South Yemen Ahmed Bamualem (POW)
South Yemen Ali al-Saadi (POW)
South Yemen Ali Saif Mohammed
South Yemen Mohsin al Twairah

South Yemen Abbas Tanba 
Casualties and losses

254 killed[5]
1,900 injured[5]

(Government claim)

1,800 killed[6][7]

500+ Detained (over 350 released)[8][9]
*Released

The South Yemen insurgency is a term used by the Yemeni government to describe the protests and attacks on government forces in southern Yemen, ongoing since 27 April 2009. Although the violence has been blamed on elements within the southern secessionist movement, leaders of the group maintain that their aims of independence are to be achieved through peaceful means, and claim that attacks are from ordinary citizens in response to the government's provocative actions. The insurgency comes amid the Shia insurgency in the country's north as led by the Houthi communities. Southern leaders led a brief, unsuccessful secession in 1994 following unification. Many of them are involved in the present secession movement. Southern separatist insurgents are active mainly in the area of former South Yemen, but also in Ad Dali' Governorate, which was not a part of the independent southern state.[10] They are supported by the United Arab Emirates, even though the UAE is a member of the Saudi Arabian-led coalition working to support the Yemeni government.[11]

  1. ^ "Violent Clashes between Al-Maraqeshah and Gunmen of Mobility in Abyan". Yemen Post. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saudi1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saudi2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Army-separatist clash kills four in south Yemen". The Daily Star. 30 January 2014. Archived from the original on 31 January 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Yemen after Saleh: A future fraught with violence". Archived from the original on August 25, 2012.
  6. ^ "South Yemen: Is It About to Declare Independence? - TIME". Time. 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 May 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. ^ "500 'Qaida' Killed, Aid Needed, Says Yemen Army". Naharnet. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  8. ^ [1] Archived 2010-04-18 at the Wayback Machine, "NewsYemen". Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
  9. ^ "Tracker: Unrest in Southern Yemen - Critical Threats". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Yemen policeman shot dead in restive south". AFP. Archived from the original on 2012-06-23. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  11. ^ "Yemen on the brink: how the UAE is profiting from the chaos of civil war". The Guardian. 21 December 2018. Archived from the original on 30 December 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2018.