This white paper lays out the history and facts of the crisis in yemen and the response. Strikes terrorism targets in yemen as war against al. The international history of the yemen civil war, 19621968 the harvard community has made this article openly available. Saudi arabia and its gcc allieswith the close cooperation of the united states and european nationshave led an effort to restore the legitimate government of yemen and negotiate a peaceful solution to the crisis at hand.
Somalias terrorist infestation council on foreign relations. Yemenipubliconlivingconditionsandsecurityrelatedissuesmay2017. The saudi war in yemen is strengthening terrorism just security. Yemen terrorism index values, historical data and charts was last updated on april of 2020. Coping with terrorism and violence in a fragile state. The united states also worked to stanch the flow of money to terrorist networks by designating. The attacks highlighted the deteriorating security conditions in yemen, a terrorist training ground. Yemen terrorism index 20022018 data 20192020 forecast. After more than 1,000 days of war, 22 million yemenis more than the population of florida need international aid, with over a third of those on the verge of starvation. The scope of this category includes pages whose subjects relate to terrorism, a contentious label valueladen labelssuch as calling an organization andor individual a terroristmay express contentious opinion and are best avoided unless widely used by reliable sources to describe the subject, in which case use intext attribution. It contains the hejaz region along the red sea, which is the cradle of islam, and the najd heartland. The history, culture, economy, and population of yemen have all been influenced by the countrys strategic location at the southern entrance of the red seaa crossroads of both ancient and modern trade and communications routes. Aq and its regional affiliates, alshabaab, and other terrorist groups are most active, such as afghanistan, pakistan, somalia, syria, and yemen. The armed conflict in yemen has killed and injured thousands of yemeni civilians since it began.
To succeed in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, any government must adopt and embark on a holistic approach. Across history yemenis rarely have been unified under common rule. Traditions of yemen before islam are at the heart of islamic literature the collapse of the marib dam is mentioned in the holy qura. Aqap, so his argument runs, can only be countered by a stable yemen and one with a strong, prowestern leadership. The islamic jihad of yemen is an al qaeda terrorist affiliate that claimed responsibility for the 2008 american embassy attack in yemen. At the end of 2017, 70 countries had laws in place to prosecute and penalize foreign terrorist fighters, and 69 had prosecuted or arrested foreign terrorist fighters or their facilitators. Yemens history since the 1960s that has not witnessed violent conflict, coups, or civil insurrection. It is a phenomenon that plagues the world and needs to be ad dressed. Aqaps control of pockets of territory along the southern coast has enabled the militant group to smuggle weapons and goods to aid terrorist activities. Civil war and regional intervention congressional research service 2 launched a military offensive aimed at restoring hadis rule and evicting houthi fighters from the capital and other major cities. The bin laden family originated in yemen prior to settling in saudi arabia and becoming wealthy in the construction business.
It is a phenomenon that plagues the world and needs to be addressed. This book provides a fresh look at the history of terrorism by providing indepth analysis of several important terrorist crises and the reactions to them in the west and beyond. Yet there is no agreement on the precise definition of a tribe, and there is no consensus on the nature of the relationship between yemeni tribes and the yemeni state. Learn about the war in yemen, how it began and who the major players are. With yemeni history and politics, nothing is easy to comprehend or necessarily logical. Literacy and life expectancy are among the lowest in the world. The history of yemen dates back to the minaean 1200650 b. In the yemen uprising of 201112, thousands of prodemocracy.
In yemen, the main salafist trend is characterized by an apparently apolitical stance. The houthis waged a series of bloody insurgencies against the yemeni government for over a decade, leading to that regimes overthrow in 2015. Yemen 2018 human rights report executive summary yemen is a republic with a constitution that provides for a president, a parliament, and an independent judiciary. Her recent work examines communitylevel perspectives on the current conflict in yemen. Far too often, yemen is crudely discussed as a backwater nation, notable only for the presence of aqap and islamic state. Check out our country profile, full of essential information about yemens geography, history, government, economy, population, culture, religion and languages. Her writings have been published by the carnegie endowment for international peace, the united states institute of peace, the atlantic council, the middle east institute, oxfam, lawfare, the center for civilians in conflict, and pomed. Since 1965, the libyanbacked front for the liberation of occupied south yemen. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about yemen terrorism 2020 should be addressed to the cia or the source cited on each page.
Yemen has a rich and storied history that precedes the existence of modern day saudi arabia, and has repeatedly been the focus of. To save the lives of millions of yemeni civilians and to roll back gains made by aqap and isis, president trump needs to assert u. Yemen is an oddity for the history in a sense is real. The saudi war in yemen is strengthening terrorism just. What is the unappeal of violent extremism and violent extremist groups. Yet there is no agreement on the precise definition of a tribe, and there is no consensus on the nature of the relationship between yemeni tribes and. Its relatively fertile land and adequate rainfall in a moister climate helped sustain a stable population, a feature recognized by the ancient greek geographer ptolemy, who described yemen as eudaimon arabia better known in its latin translation, arabia felix meaning fortunate arabia or happy arabia. The houthis are an iranianbacked, shiite muslim armed religious and political movement in yemen. Yemen is one of the oldest centers of civilization in the near east. The political challenges of yemens southern movement carnegie.
Adding to these problems, yemen has a very high population growth rate of. The country is known both for its austere form of islam and for its oil wealth. Yemen is still threatened by terrorist and regional insurgent violence. After a faction of radical marxists took over in 1970, south yemen became the peoples democratic republic of yemen and was propped up by a host of communist backers, the soviet union chief among them. This chapter juxtaposes these seemingly two quite different storylines one about yemeni aspirations for social justice and better governance and the other about american and saudi operations undertaken in the name of combating terrorism. Salifism in yemen does not have a history of extremism, rather it was. The twoway american warplanes targeted terrorist fighters, their weapons and equipment in what may be the first u. The twoway american warplanes targeted terrorist fighters, their weapons and equipment in.
More information about yemen is available on the yemen page and from other department of state publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. Violent extremism and terrorism in yemen dylan odriscoll university of manchester 31 july 2017 question what are the different groups involved in violent extremism and terrorism in yemen. The countrys geographytall mountains in the west around the capital sanaa, a large interior desert, and a remarkable canyon system in the east known. Daeshs official branch in yemen, daeshyemen, launched. Deconstructing salafism in yemen combating terrorism center. The socalled gcc initiative, and in particular the national dialogue conference process playing out as this book goes to press, provides the link between. Feb 26, 2020 palace of the sultan in saywun, yemen katrina thomasphoto researchers. Hpg working paper counterterrorism, derisking and the. Yemen efforts in the fight against terrorism terrorism has no limits and respects no boundaries. And american airstrikes against terrorist targets in yemen have failed to diminish that threat. Qaedas role in yemen and worsen the problem of terrorism there. In 2014, yemen participated in the yemen quadrilateral border talks yqbt, a joint forum comprised of officials from yemen, oman, saudi arabia.
Because the chapter files are presented in pdf format, you have the option of either viewing them online, or permanently downloading them to your computer. Terrorism in 2017, and also designated key hizballah figures as sdgts as we pushed back on iranian support for terrorism across the globe. The government of yemen reiterates its firm position that any counterterrorism operations carried out in yemen should continue to be in consultation with. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Yemenipublicon livingconditionsandsecurityrelatedissuesmay2017. As a conflict site, yemen has been much under reported and researched and as a result there are limited studies on the various dynamics of violent extremism in yemen. The group also threatened future attacks against other embassies, including those of saudi arabia, the united arab emirates and the united kingdom. A history of modern yemen download free epub, pdf yemens modern history is unique and deserves to be better understood. The united states lists somalia as a haven for terrorists, and indeed, evidence suggests terrorists are using the fractured state as an operational hub. Counterterrorism, yemen, arab spring, nasir alwahishi, war of ideas, anwar alawalki introduction since september 11th, 2001, the united states has engaged itself in an international campaign to eliminate terrorism specifically, international terrorist organizations that threaten the us domestically and its vital interests abroad. Jul 10, 20 read cnn s fast facts for information about yemen, a country located on the southwestern tip of the arabian peninsula. All observers agree that tribes are powerful political actors in yemen and central to yemeni culture and society. While bridges between apolitical salafists or purists, as quintan wiktorowicz describes them and armed movements may exist, its frequent association with jihadist groups or its depiction as the antechamber of terrorism can be misleading.
Al qaeda in yemen aqy was a militant islamist group based in yemen and the yemeni branch of the al qaeda aq franchise from 2000 until 2009 when it merged with its saudi counterpart to create al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap. Terrorism has no limits and respects no boundaries. What are the structural driversenabling factors of violent extremism e. On february 11, 2009, the yemen government and the alhouthi rebels agreed to a ceasefire in the sadah conflict. On may 22, 1990 the republic of yemen was established with the merger of the yemen arab republic yemen sanaa or north yemen and the marxist peoples democratic republic of yemen yemen aden or south yemen. Islamic jihad organization yemen terrorist groups trac. In its war on terrorism in yemen, the us government describes yemen as an important partner in the global war on terrorism.
By focusing on the issue of violence, this article intends to. On february 26 in geneva, the united nations and the governments of sweden and switzerland hosted the third annual pledging conference for the crisis in yemen. The country did not unify successfully, however, and yemen s recent history is. To succeed in the fight against terrorism and vio lent extremism, any government must adopt and embark on a holistic approach. In 2012 vice president abd rabbuh mansour hadi was chosen by the governing and opposition parties as the sole consensus candidate for president. Read cnn s fast facts for information about yemen, a country located on the southwestern tip of the arabian peninsula.
Asymmetric warfare refers to the use of randomunpredictable violence by a weak group i. Read cnn s fast facts for information about yemen, a country located on the. Since march 2015, the group has conducted dozens of terrorist attacks across the country as part of their campaign. A thick dust cloud travels southward from saudi arabias rub al khali sand sea towards the edge of the arabian peninsula. The global terrorism index measures the direct and indirect impact of terrorism, including its effects on lives lost, injuries, property damage and the psychological aftereffects.
Uk counter terrorism policing has information and advice on staying safe abroad and what to do in the event of a terrorist attack. North yemen in december, they barely controlled sanaa and left a path of destruction, having bombed hostile tribal areas, laid landmines, and even 5 ahmed noman and kassim almadhagi, yemen and the united states. There is a plethora of small arms scattered among yemen s diverse tribal peoples, making security a major challenge. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of yemen terrorism 2020 information contained here. If thats not enough, click over to our collection of world maps and flags. Keep track of the latest developments on the center for preventive actions global conflict tracker. The current conflict in yemen is a direct proxy war between iran and saudi arabia and is a microcosm of the fight for stability in the middle east.
In contrast to afghanistan under the taliban, yemens central government has not offered direct support to that international terrorist organisation. There is a plethora of small arms scattered among yemens diverse tribal peoples, making security a major challenge. Yemen s counter terrorism unit ctu was formed in 2003 to confront the challenge posed by members of alqaeda. There have been attacks on civilian targets and tourists, and there was a cargoplane bomb plot in 2010. Jul 25, 2017 it is important to begin by putting the conflict into perspective, by engaging with yemens complex history, particularly as it relates to revolutionary politics, as well the origins of its present crisis. Isil is the deadliest terrorist group in iraqs history with over. The history of terrorism is a long one, and defining it is not a straightforward matter. The first terrorists early zealots and assassins such as the sicarii and the hashhashin frightened their contemporaries but were not really terrorists in the modern sense. Daeshs official branch in yemen, daeshyemen, launched its terrorist campaign in march 2015, carrying out coordinated suicide attacks against shia mosques and targets in the cities of sadah and sanaa. This naturalcolor satellite image shows the dense part of the cloud approaching yemen lower left and translucent swirls of dust over the arabian sea. The emergence of al qaeda in the arabian peninsula aqap. Yemens terrorism barrier carnegie middle east center. As of november 2018, 6,872 civilians had been killed and 10,768 wounded, the majority by saudi.
Infoplease has everything you need to know about yemen. The contemporary state of yemen was formed when the yemen arab republic north yemen merged with the peoples democratic republic of yemen south yemen in may 1990. Yemen s war explained in 4 key points yemen is in the midst of a humanitarian catastrophe, yet after three years of intense fighting, it has been dubbed the forgotten war. The british protectorate endured until 1967 when it was pressured out following five years of violent insurgency. What are the different groups involved in violent extremism and terrorism in yemen. Yemen s history since the 1960s that has not witnessed violent conflict, coups, or civil insurrection. This article provides a geographical and historical treatment of yemen, including maps, statistics, and a survey of its people, economy, and government. Lines of small clouds cling to the margins of the dust plumes south of oman lower right. To access one of the following chapters, simply leftclick on it with your mouse. The threat posed by the islamic state to the west is wideranging and it is safe to say islamic extremism is likely to be with us for generations. Beginning with the 1962 uprising against the zaydi shia theocracy, or imamate, yemenis have yet to find a means to build institutions of state and society that can address successfully the grievances of political. The country did not unify successfully, however, and yemens recent history is marked by political, tribal and religious conflict. By the sixteenth century and again in the nineteenth century, northern yemen was controlled in the cities by the ottoman empire and in tribal areas by the zaydi imams suzerainty. Counterterrorism, derisking and the humanitarian response in.
Relations with yemen united states department of state. Yemen has long been connected to the family of osama bin laden and his alqaida terrorist organization. Saudi arabia, arid, sparsely populated kingdom of the middle east, and a young country heir to a rich history. The countrys geographytall mountains in the west around the capital sanaa, a large interior desert, and a. Understanding the role of tribes in yemen combating.
The international history of the yemen civil war, 19621968. Yemen between revolution and counterterrorism by sheila. A resident legation, later elevated to embassy status, was opened in taiz the capital at the time on march 16, 1959 and moved to sanaa in 1966. The unit is trained by the us as an ally in the war on terror and as a result. It is a composite score that ranks countries according to the impact of terrorism from 0 no impact to 10 highest impact. Strikes terrorism targets in yemen as war against alqaida persists. The global counterterror finance regime and implications in the middle east.
Thus, one can ask whether such regularities or cycles have been observed. Yemen, an arid and mostly mountainous country situated at the southwestern corner of the arabian peninsula. But the roots of extremism in the country can be traced back much further. The united states established diplomatic relations with the imamate in 1947. Al qaeda 1 prepared by john rollins, specialist in terrorism and national security, ext. Nov 10, 2010 jihadism in yemen has been fed over the decades by generations of volunteer fighters returning radicalized from conflicts abroad, such as the afghan war against the soviets in the 1980s, the invasion of afghanistan in 2002 and the 2003 invasion of iraq. The history and occurrence of terrorism in the present day states as well as nonstate bodies have used fear as their weapon of choice for a very long time, and as a historical process the use of fear may have its own dynamic and regularities. Islamic jihad claims responsibility for us embassy attack. While there have been isolated instances of terrorist groups and their supporters soliciting funds in virtual currencies, such as bitcoin, and using virtual currencies to move funds or purchase.
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