Popular Committees (Yemen)

The Popular Committees are armed groups established in Yemen. They are composed of members of various Yemeni tribes, mainly for the purpose of assisting the Yemeni army during the Yemeni uprising and, previously, during the late Yemeni civil war. Such groups were first established in 2010 in the province of Shabwa. Their popularity has increased as the war continues. During the first days of the Yemeni Revolution in 2012, committees were also created in the Abyan province to support the army in the face of AQAP militants in South Yemen,[1] and, by 2015, popular resistance committees had spread to other provinces of Yemen.[2][3]

Background and current situation

Historically, the Yemeni army permanently required the support of tribal militias or what has become known as the People's Committees in internal and external wars, and when the 26 September revolution in the north of the national state did not inherit all the national army of UK, and some members of the army fled and stood with the imams deposed to try to regain power, and the revolution in need of protection, issued a statement in 1963, "conscription law," however, is not recruiting, according to this law, and varied recruitment methods by brown tribal difference, it was the citizens of the "central regions" that weakened the tribal links in Taiz, Ibb, in particular, volunteer individually, has been established so-called "National Guard" to accommodate them, and the formations of regular, subject "to Hearer" military (mattresses) series, and gets its members on a monthly salary, and wearing military uniforms and undergoing military training.[4][5][6]

The citizens of the northern areas with tribal ties were recruited for the war under the leadership of their elders. It has been now established as the "People's Army" to accommodate them. In spite of naming them, thusly, it remained outside the regular army structure and led by a band of tribal elders, including members of the Senate who also hold official positions in the military and civilian organs of the State.

The tribesmen and elders realize that the continuation of the political roles determined in the light taken by the state of the procedures in the field of building a strong professional army of the institutionalized, so have contributed to the foreclosure military institution, and keep it in a state of weakness, which made the state a permanent need for the use of the Popular Army-tribal has not banana been a strong army capable of building to fight conflicts and wars successfully, so the army did not ask him in all battles fought after the Royal war Republic stopped in 1970, was the militias tribal "irregular forces" have an important role in the northern army support against army South, through two wars between the powers of two halves of Yemen in 1972 and 1979. Vhyuh tribes are the ones who paid the Northern power to go to war in 1972 and began tribal militias war initiated by the army.

In the presidency of Judge Abdul Rahman AL-Iryani, the military entered into the policy battles, starting with a conflict over the establishment of the National Council, where the Armed Forces presented what is known as correcting the Armed Forces decisions, demanded the patch off the funds provided by the state for the sheikhs of tribes officers, Augustus 1971 resigned government Justifying Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Noman resignation of the government for its inability to meet their obligations due to the depletion of tribal elders to the state budget. In December 1972 resignation of Aini government enhancer because of demands that have not responded with a solution to the Shura Council, which is dominated by the sheikhs and resolve the interests of tribal affairs and stop sheiks budget.[7]

The movement of June 13 corrective led submitted Ibrahim AL-Hamdi, which began from the first of his presidency (1974-1977) to reduce the role of the sheikhs of the tribes in the army and the state abolished the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, and froze the constitution and resolve the Shura Council, and in July 27, 1975, called the "army day" issued decisions to deport many of the tribal elders of the leadership of the military, but he was assassinated before finishing what he started. Before the March 1979 war between the two halves, the face of former President Ali Abdullah Saharsalh to Sheikh Abdullah bin Hussein AL-Ahmar on February 22, 1979, asking him to fill in the tribal forces and a willingness to confront the volatile situation on the border.

And to strengthen the place of sheikhs of tribes in power created the Ali Abdullah Saleh in the eighties, "the interests of tribal affairs" to play the same role of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, which abolished the assassinated President Ibrahim al-Hamdi to organize the distribution of funds to the elite tribal and established branches in all governorates of Yemen, through 1994 summer war was popular committees play an important role in supporting the pro-unity of the military units and Ali Abdullah Saleh, in their battles against the pro-vice president Ali Salem military units, and after the war circulated "the interests of tribal affairs," the southern provinces adopted for cities and neighborhoods sheikhs and headband lane which has not tariff those cities and provinces by at all. Army hired Palmlishea tribal wars six Saada against rebel militias "Houthi group" in Saada and Amran provinces during the years 2004-2009 and used the government out again in the fight against al-Qaeda was formed in support of the army, tribal teams in the face of al-Qaeda in 2010 in the province of Shabwa and again in Abyan province in the period 2011-2012, where the exercise of popular committees in Yemen's southern regions, especially in the province of Abyan big role in the military support to fight Al Qaeda and sometimes locked in battles substitute.[8][9]

During the Battle of Aden, the committees played a major role in recapturing the city from the Houthi fighters.[10] In some provinces, is united with the popular resistance, to fight against AQAP.[11]

See also

References

  1. http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/6353
  2. "مقتل خمسة أشخاص في اشتباك بين مقاتلي القاعدة وميليشيا في اليمن". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. Mohamed Musharraf (7 May 2014). "Yemen says army captures Al-Qaeda stronghold". Reuters UK. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  4. "52nd anniversary of the September 26 Revolution". Yemen Times. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  5. "Yemen Civil War". Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  6. Farea Al-Muslim. "The Popular Committee Phenomenon in Yemen: Fueling War and Conflict". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. "IRIN - "Popular Committees" feed Yemen polarization". IRIN. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. Hakim Almasmari, for CNN (12 April 2012). "Yemen government says it killed 42 in clashes with militants". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. "31 dead in Yemen fighting with Qaeda". The Nation. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. Mohammed Mukhashaf (16 February 2015). "Forces loyal to president seize parts of Yemen's economic hub". Reuters UK. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  11. "Resistance in Yemen: Courage, compassion and a lot of heart". RT International. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
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