Abyan (Emirate)

The Abyan region, along with the city of Aden , is a historical place where the radical Islamist movement, which has received the generalized name Al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula , is headed by the leaders of the former Aden and Abyan Liberation Army ^[1] .

The transition of the southern regions of Yemen to Islamist control and their proclamation of the Islamic emirate in Abyan governorate at the end of March 2011 occurred in a situation of the collapse of state-power institutions following the mass protests against the regime of President Ali Abdallah Saleh (“The Revolution in Yemen (2011-2012) ").

Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh , who actually authorized the seizure by Mujahideen of Abyan

Abyan in the midst of the political interests of President Saleh

Researchers note that the growing Islamist threat in southern Yemen was and remains beneficial, first of all, to the very former president Saleh, with the direct assistance of which the arms depots were transferred to the hands of extremists (and in the north and south Saleh actually left “unowned” weapons depots , which was easily captured by the Islamists ^{[1] [2]} ), and then the settlements of the south (including Zinjibar ), and which secretly sponsors the main groups that gained control over the southern regions of Yemen. While in power, Saleh tried to demonstrate by strengthening the Islamists' position in the south of the republic to bargain for the United States to allocate additional funds to him to fight extremism ^[3] and at the same time justify the use of armed forces against the opposition. From this point of view, the proclamation of the Islamic emirate in Abyan and the capture by the Mujahideen of Zinjibar were the result of Saleh’s long-term manipulation of the Islamic groups of Yemen, including the Arab branch of al-Qaeda (this was confirmed, in particular, by General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar) ^[3] .

Sheikh al-Fadli and the alignment of anti-government forces

After the evacuation of Saleh, who was seriously wounded during the attempt on June 3, 2011, to Saudi Arabia, the armed groups Ansar al-Sharia (“Supporters of the Sharia”) were used by him to intensify chaos and the Islamic threat in the south of the country. Saleh’s goal was to show Washington that without him the country would fall under the control of extremists ^[4] . Saleh continues the same policy after leaving the post of president of the republic. The coming to power of Al-Khadi , entailing for the local elite of Abyan the redistribution of both authority and ownership, provoked a mixed reaction from the old elite of Abyan.

As a result, starting in January 2011, in the south of Yemen, first of all, a rather heterogeneous alliance of Islamists was formed in Abyan Mufahaz , among which Al-Qaeda plays by no means a leading role. Researchers identify four completely independent Islamist groups waging war with government forces to establish the Sharia law and order in southern Yemen (primarily in Abyan) ^[2] . Firstly, these are professional Mujahideen who arrived from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen itself (many arrived from third countries through the Aden airport as tourists ^[3] ). Secondly, this is the recently created group Ansar al-Sharia (Supporters of Sharia behind which is a relative of Saleh, Sheikh Tariq bin Nasir al-Fadli , son and heir to the last Sultan Fadli . The latter circumstance provides Sheikh Tariq due to tribal relations a virtually monopolistic influence on the processes taking place in Abyan ^[1] . Despite the fact that Tariq al-Fadli has long publicly distanced himself from al-Qaeda , it is obvious that no activity of radical Islamists in Abyan without his will is unreal ^[1] . Apparently, Al-Fadli is also behind the tribal groups of supporters of Abyan state independence, which constitute the third anti-government force, which does not contain a pronounced Islamist orientation. Finally, fourthly, it is Ansar Kharak, a former military group sponsored by, among other things, the former leader of the Democratic People’s Democratic Republic Ali Salem al-Bayd . Ansar Harak stands for the independence of the entire South and the reconstruction of the People’s Democratic People’s Republic . Sheikh Tariq al-Fadli and Ansar Harak receive funding mainly from former President Ali Abdallah Saleh , who thereby tries to destabilize the situation as much as possible, making it difficult for the new authorities to become. Ansar Harak, in addition to the peak of Saudi Arabia, is financed by Iran ^[2] .

Position of local tribes

The position of the local tribes of Abyan, historically opposed to the Saleh regime, is ambiguous. At the very beginning of the war for the secession of Abyan, the tribes supported the Islamists and provided substantial assistance to the Mujahideen, who, for tactical reasons, showed loyalty to the tribal traditions, but after the Mujahideen became too independent, the sheiks of the southern tribes turned their weapons against them. As the number and combat effectiveness of the Islamist forces increased, they began to implement their own ideological line, which came into conflict with the norms of the local tribal community. Sheikh al-Jadani has not without reason declared that the regime of Saleh and al-Qaeda are two sides of the same coin ^[3] . The flow of refugees to nearby settlements, caused by the capture of Zinjibar, met with a negative reaction from local tribes. The Sheikh of the Balid tribe of Abdallah Balidi, who inhabits Abyan, appealed to local clans, especially the Al-Fadl tribe, to unite against the Islamists. Local clans, largely due to sympathy for the 25th brigade fighting among the Mujahideen, joined the military ^[3] .

On March 27, 2011, a Yemeni correspondent for the Ansar Islamic Forum announced that the Islamists had seized Abyan governorate and proclaimed the Islamic Emirate there:

On May 25, 2011, the first Islamist attack on the city of Zincibar , the administrative center of the Abyan governorate , was launched, which was repelled. Soon, however, the Republican Guard, police and administration representatives left the city, followed by thousands of citizens.

On May 27-29, 2011, approximately 300 Islamists ( Mujahideen ) captured Zinjibar , they occupied the empty administrative buildings and took control of all exits from the city. The masses of weapons thrown at the police department fell into the hands of the Islamists. Many townspeople claimed that Zanjibar was intentionally abandoned by government forces and officials who left military equipment and ammunition as a gift to the Islamists ^[3] . The 25th brigade of the Yemeni army, led by General Mohammed al-Savmali, refused to abandon its position and leave the city. As a result, she was surrounded by Mujahideen , who managed to get reinforcements before the armed formations of local tribes cut off the roads to the city. According to the command of the 25th brigade, their unit is not subordinate to either the government or the opposition and will fight to the end to prevent the al-Qaeda from breaking through from Zinjibar to other regions of the country.

On May 30, 2011, Yemeni air forces attacked Islamist positions in Zinjibar ^[6] . On the same day, the Mujahideen made an unsuccessful attempt to storm the base of the 25th brigade, located on the eastern outskirts of the city. The next day, the forces of the 25th brigade tried to regain control of the city, but they failed.

The activity of the Islamists increased sharply after the assassination attempt on President Saleh on June 3, 2011 and his subsequent evacuation. The power over Abyan almost completely passed into the hands of the Islamists, led by the son of the last Sultan of Fadli, Tariq bin Nasir al-Fadli , the leader of the Islamist group Ansar al-Sharia ("Supporters of Sharia") , which is connected with President Saleh by family and business relations ^[4] .

On June 7, 2011, the forces of the 25th Brigade again tried to establish control over Zinjibar, but again to no avail.

On June 11, 2011, the Islamists made a new attempt to storm the base of the 25th brigade, again unsuccessful.

At the end of June 2011, the Islamists distributed an official proclamation to the population, in which, among other things, they announced the complete abolition of all illegal taxes and fees established by the Saleh regime, the establishment of fixed prices for a number of essential food items, and an official ban on the distribution of printed matter publications with inappropriate content ^[7] . For non-compliance with the requirements of this document, responsibility was declared in accordance with Sharia . In addition, in this proclamation, the population was promised to solve the problems of water and electricity shortages as soon as possible.

At the same time, the Mujahideen launched an assault on the 25th mechanized brigade of government troops stationed in the east of Zinjibar for a month now ^[7] .

By mid-July 2011, the Balid Sheikh Abdallah Balidi accused the authorities of interest in prolonging the conflict in Abyan, fellow tribesmen in the cities of Abyan began to squeeze out Islamists, learning about the consequences of the capture of Zinjibar. Groups of up to 450 people formed from local tribes opposed the Islamists. One of Abyan’s tribal leaders, Sheikh Ahmad ar-Rahvi, reached an agreement with the commander of the 25th brigade on the participation of armed formations of local clans on the side of the military. The tribal militia blocked approaches to the city and cut the Mujahideen’s paths for reinforcements. In another village of Abyan, in the city of Lavdar , the formations of the Avazil clan successfully repelled the attack of the Islamists, while capturing a significant amount of weapons and ammunition ^[3] .

November 2011: Mujahideen Ansar Al-Sharia in Abyan subjected to scourging 5 people on suspicion of drug trafficking. After the execution of the penalty of 80 lashes, the young people were released. The Islamic group Ansar al-Shariah has been carrying out indicative executions and punishments for several months. Recently, as a result of Sharia punishment in the form of cutting off his hands, a young man was killed, accused of theft of an electric cable. The punishment was carried out in a field near the city of Jaar , in front of dozens of witnesses ^[8] .

On April 19, 2012, Yemeni Air Force aircraft fired on the city of Sukra , aiming at the residence of Sheikh Tarik al-Fadli ^[9] .

On June 7, 2012, Yemeni government forces killed 20 Ansar al-Sharia militants on the outskirts of the city of Jaar (southern Abyan province), and five people from local tribes who fought on the side of the authorities also died in the clashes. Yemen’s air force helicopters also attacked militant positions. As stated in the Ministry of Defense, now the army has almost completely managed to regain control of Zinjibar ^[10] .

• Gusterin P. Yemen in transition. On the way to peace or decay? - 2014. - ISBN 978-3-659-28300-0 .

• The Yemen army destroyed 20 militants in the south of the country // Rossiyskaya Gazeta, June 8, 2012
• Yemeni air force hit Afghanistan veterans //lenta.ru, 05/30/2011
• In Yemen, a young man died, whose arm was chopped off for theft.
• YEMEN. Mujahideen of al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula announced the creation of the Emirate of Abyan //www.ummanews.com, 03/30/2011
• YEMEN. Mujahideen of "al-Qaeda" establish the Sharia order in the Emirate and join together to storm Aden //www.ummanews.com, 06/27/2011
• YEMEN. The son of the last Yemeni sultan with his children joined the al-Qaeda Mujahideen on the Arabian Peninsula //www.ummanews.com, 04/21/2012
• Nechitailo D. A. The conflict between the tribes of South Yemen and Al-Qaeda // Website of the Institute of the Middle East, August 25, 2011
• Ryabov P.P. Yemen: the struggle for power // Website of the Institute of the Middle East, June 9, 2011
• Ryabov P.P. Yemen and Al-Qaeda // Website of the Institute of the Middle East, July 25, 2011
• Ryabov P.P. Yemen as a "mirror" of Arab "revolutions". Part 2 // Website of the Institute of the Middle East, April 23, 2012
• Ryabov P.P. The background of the aggravation of the situation in Yemen // Website of the Institute of the Middle East, April 17, 2012.