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Yemen: Key pro-govt forces fighting rebels
ADEN, Feb 7, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Forces loyal to the Yemen government —
backed by the Saudi-led coalition — are made up of different groups, some of
which have been accused of being “largely unaccountable” by Amnesty
International.
The London-based rights group on Wednesday accused the United Arab
Emirates, a key partner in the coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Huthi
rebels, of giving “billions of dollars worth of arms” to militias that
“answer to no-one and are known to be committing war crimes” in Yemen.
Meanwhile, General Joseph Votel, who heads US Central Command covering the
Middle East, also expressed concern Tuesday about a CNN investigation that
found weaponry and equipment provided by the United States to Saudi Arabia
and the UAE have ended up in the hands of militias across war-torn Yemen.
“We have to look more closely at the allegations in this particular
situation to find out what happened,” Votel told the Senate Armed Services
Committee.
Some 10,000 people — mostly civilians — have been killed since 2015 when
the coalition intervened in the Yemen war, according to the World Health
Organization, although rights groups say the death toll could be five times
higher.
In the south and west of Yemen, there is a number of active armed groups
that seized land from the Huthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and
much of the north.
– Giants Brigade –
The Giants Brigade, known as Al-Amaliqa in Arabic, was established in 2015
and is made up of about 15,000 men — some from the former Yemeni army while
others are volunteers.
It is headed by Abdulrahman Abou Zaraa, who was a honey trader but was
promoted to a general by UN-recognised Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour
Hadi.
The group, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, took part in fighting the
Huthis along a 300-kilometre (185-mile) western coastal line between the
strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea port city of Hodeida.
– Security Belt –
The UAE-backed Security Belt was formed in three southern provinces —
including Aden, Lahij and Abyan — from where they pushed out the Huthi
rebels in 2015.
The armed group also played a key role in fighting Al-Qaeda in the Arabian
Peninsula (AQAP), seen by the United States as the jihadist network’s most
dangerous franchise.
The Security Belt recruits from the country’s southern separatist movement
that has long campaigned for the secession of southern Yemen, which was an
independent country before unification in 1990.
Southern Yemen is now home to both the Hadi government and separatists,
whose alliance against the Huthis has become increasingly fraught.
The Security Belt has clashed with Hadi supporters for allegedly allowing
Islamists into their ranks and of being Muslim Brotherhood sympathisers.
The UAE has blacklisted the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist”
organisation and works to limit their influence in Yemen, especially in the
south which is under the control of Abu Dhabi-backed troops.
– Elite Forces –
The Elite Forces are made up of two armed groups, one based in the Shabwa
province and the other in Hadramawt.
It was established in 2016 with the support of the UAE.
The Elite Forces in Shabwa has more than 5,600 fighters, who succeeded in
flushing out AQAP from the province.
The Shabwa forces control most of the province except three districts
which remain under the control of the Hadi government.
In Hadramawt, the troops were key in driving AQAP out of the strategic
Mukalla port in April 2016.
– National Army –
In the central province of Marib, east of the capital Sanaa, there is
another battlefront against the Huthi rebels but it is inactive.
The National Army is loyal to vice president Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, a former
army general, who is believed to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood but
nevertheless remains an ally of Saudi Arabia — which also has listed the
Brotherhood as a “terrorist” organisation.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 0838 hrs