Battle of Sanaa (2014)

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Battle of Sanaa
Part of the
Yemeni Civil War (2014-present)

Old City of Sanaa
Date16–21 September 2014
(5 days)
Location
Sanaa, Yemen
Result

Houthi victory

Belligerents
Houthis

Government of Yemen

Commanders and leaders
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi
 Mohammed Abdul Salam		 Yemen Abdrabbuh Hadi
Yemen Mohammed Basindawa
Yemen Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar
Casualties and losses
100+ killed[4] Unknown
274
Revolution (2011–12)

Bombings and terrorist attacks in Yemen

Houthi missile and drone attacks in Yemen

Saudi-led intervention (2015–present)
Humanitarian crisis

The Battle of Sanaa in 2014 marked the advance of the

military and police in northern Sanaa.[8][9] By 21 September, the Houthis captured the government headquarters, marking the fall of Sanaa.[7][10]

Background

Main articles:
Houthi insurgency in Yemen and Battle of Amran
See also:
Yemeni Revolution and Siege of Dammaj

Sana'a Governorate by July.[15]

In August, the Houthis began holding mass demonstrations in

Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to reverse a cut to fuel subsidies and calling on the government to step down. Representatives of the group met with government officials in an attempt to find a solution to the standoff, but the Houthis rejected the government's concessions as insufficient.[16]

On 9 September, Houthi protesters in northwest Sana'a were fired upon by security forces as they marched on the cabinet office. Seven were killed.[7]

Battle

Houthis storm Sana'a

Fighting broke out between the Houthis and army units in northwest Sana'a on 16 September and continued into the following day.[17]

On 18 September, fighting claimed 40 lives in the district where Yemen TV, the state broadcast station, is located in northern Sana'a. The Houthis and loyalists of the Islah Party, both heavily armed, fought over the neighbourhood.

Sana'a International Airport were suspended.[18]

Houthi fighters attacked Sana'a in earnest on 19 September, shelling the state television station and clashing with both government forces and Sunni militias[

G10 states and called the Houthi attack an "attempted coup" against his government. UN envoy Jamal Benomar urged a peaceful end to the fighting.[4]

Government bows to pressure

Yemen TV continued to burn on 20 September as the Houthis advanced deeper into Sana'a.[4] That evening, Benomar announced an agreement that would end the crisis.[17]

By 21 September, the Houthis declared themselves in control of Sana'a,[20] having taken over the offices of the prime minister, the state television building, and military headquarters. Al-Ahmar's forces reportedly surrendered to the Houthis after fighting,[20] although the general himself was believed to have escaped capture.[21] The rebels signed a deal with the government, prompting Prime Minister Mohammed Basindawa to resign. However, they refused to sign an annex to the agreement under which security forces would resume control of areas seized by the Houthis and confiscate the Houthis' weapons. Nonetheless, Hadi declared an immediate ceasefire and urged all factions to respect the agreement.[22] Basindawa criticised Hadi in his resignation, saying "autocratic measures" shut him out of the political process and kept his government "in the dark" with regard to Yemen's deteriorating security situation.[17]

Sana'a was widely regarded as having fallen to the Houthis in just a handful of days. Several

uprising that dislodged longtime president Ali Abdullah Saleh.[7][20][21]

Aftermath

Main article: Houthi takeover in Yemen

While the Houthis gained control of the capital and used the threat of force as leverage to wring concessions out of the government, including Basindawa's resignation, more subsidies on fuel, and a pledge to form a "unity government", they refrained from an immediate

Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak, as prime minister to replace Basindawa, the Houthis effectively vetoed the choice.[23]

Al Jazeera later claimed to have received taped phone conversations between Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former president, and Houthi officials indicating that Saleh aided the Houthis in their takeover of Sana'a.[24] Saleh's party, the General People's Congress, joined the Houthis in announcing an eleventh-hour boycott of the unity government led by Hadi and Prime Minister Khaled Bahah in November.[25]

The Houthis continued to apply pressure on the weakened unity government, kidnapping bin Mubarak for several days in January 2015 in an attempt to gain more control over the drafting of a new constitution.

Revolutionary Committee to administer the country in February 2015.[28][29][30]

References

  1. ^ "Yemeni PM Mohammed Basindawa resigns amid deadly clashes in capital". Z News. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  2. ^ a b Harb, Khalil (22 September 2014). "Houthis take Sanaa but refrain from coup". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  3. ^ Ghobari, Mohammed (22 September 2014). "Houthis tighten grip on Yemen capital after swift capture, power-sharing deal". Reuters. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e Madabish, Arafat (20 September 2014). "Yemen: Sana'a clashes escalate as Houthis advance". Asharq al-Awsat. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Yemen: Civilian Toll of Fighting in Capital". Human Rights Watch. November 18, 2014.
  6. ^ "At least 340 killed in Yemen's week-long fighting". The Daily Star Newspaper - Lebanon.
  7. ^ a b c d e Karasik, Theodore (23 September 2014). "The fall of Sanaa: What next for Yemen?". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  8. ^ a b "60 Yemenis killed in Sanaa clashes: Source". Turkish Weekly. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  9. ^ "Houthi protesters, Yemen police clash in Sana'a". IRIB World Service. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 10 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  10. ^ "Yemeni PM resigns as government building falls to rebels". BBC News. 21 September 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. ^ "Salafis forced to flee Dammaj, government forces unable to protect them, they say". ReliefWeb. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  12. ^ Salisbury, Peter (19 August 2014). "Houthi Shia rebels threaten Yemen's transition to democracy". Financial Times. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  13. ^ Schmitz, Charles (28 August 2014). "THE FALL OF AMRAN AND THE FUTURE OF THE ISLAH PARTY IN YEMEN". Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Yemen president says Houthis agree to return town to state control". Reuters. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
  15. ^ "THE HOUTHIS: FROM A LOCAL GROUP TO A NATIONAL POWER". Yemen Times. 4 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  16. ^ Ghobari, Mohammed (22 August 2014). "Tens of thousands of Yemeni Houthis protest against govt in capital". Reuters. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  17. ^ a b c d al Shrhabi, Adel Moujahed (29 September 2014). "Houthi victory is defeat for Yemen's Islah". Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  18. ^ "Yemeni president accuses Houthis of coup attempt". Al-Akhbar. 20 September 2014. Archived from the original on 22 October 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  19. ^ Salisbury, Peter (19 September 2014). "Houthi militants clash with army in Yemen capital of Sana'a". Financial Times. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  20. ^ a b c Al-Batiti, Saeed (September 2014). "Yemenis are shocked by Houthis' quick capture of Sana'a". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  21. ^ a b al-Zarqa, Ahmed (22 September 2014). "Yemen: Saudi Arabia recognizes new balance of power in Sanaa as Houthis topple Muslim Brothers". Al-Akhbar. Archived from the original on 2 November 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  22. ^ Ghobari, Mohammed (21 September 2014). "Houthi rebels sign deal with Yemen parties to form new government". Reuters. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  23. ^ "Yemen's Houthi rebels reject Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as PM". BBC News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  24. ^ "Yemen's president and Houthis reach agreement". Al Jazeera. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  25. ^ "US blacklists Yemen ex-president Saleh, Houthi commanders". Middle East Eye. 9 November 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  26. ^ "Houthis free top aide to Yemen president". Al Jazeera. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  27. ^ "Yemen crisis: President resigns as rebels tighten hold". BBC. January 22, 2015. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  28. ^ "Yemen crisis deepens but Obama vows Qaeda pursuit". news.yahoo.com.
  29. ^ "Houthi Rebels Take Over Yemen's Government". The Huffington Post. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  30. ^ "Yemen's Houthi rebels announce government takeover". Al Jazeera. 6 February 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
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