Report details human cost of Yemen turmoil Unrest claimed 7,000 lives in 2014 as Shia Houthis gained control of 70 percent of armys capabilities, think-tank says. 04 Jan 2015 13:29 GMT | Politics, Yemen, Middle East, Houthis Houthis took control of Sanaa in September and have since advanced into mainly Sunni areas [Reuters] More to this story Yemen: Al-Qaeda in a war of attrition Yemen: Whose Law? Yemen: Whose Law? At least 7,000 people were killed in Yemen in 2014, including at least 1,200 civilians, three times the level of deaths from when the current turmoil began in 2011, according to a Yemeni think-tanks report. It is now thought that Shia Houthi fighters are controlling about 70 percent of armys capabilities, the Abaad Centre for Strategic Studies says in a report. During 2014 the Houthis seized more that 120 tank-type vehicles as well as other armoured vehicle and about 100 rockets during operations in 2014, the report said. The Arabian Peninsula country has been in turmoil since 2011 pro-democracy protests forced long-ruling President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. The Houthis, also known as Ansarullah, overran the capital Sanaa unopposed in September and have since advanced into mainly Sunni parts of the country. They have been met with fierce resistance by al-Qaeda and Sunni tribal fighters. The report concludes that the political transition since the rule of long-time President Ali Abdullah Saleh has failed. On Saturday, the head of the Houthis threatened to take control of the oil-rich Marib province, targeted by the group since it seized Sanaa and central Yemen three months ago. If official authorities do not assume their responsibilities, [we] will act to support the honourable people of Marib, Abdelmalek al-Houthi said in a televised address to supporters in Sanaa. Against this backdrop of tensions, a senior Yemeni army officer was shot by an unidentified assailants on Sunday in the southeastern province of Shabwa, Yemens Defence Ministry said. The ministry said on its news website that Colonel Hamoud Hussein al-Dharhani was killed outside his house in the city of Ataq. Shabwa served as a stronghold of al-Qaeda and other armed groups in recent years, who used the provinces rough desert terrain to set up hideouts and training camps. The ministry said the authorities were investigating the attack. The killing in Ataq was the latest attack on military personnel believed to be the handiwork of al-Qaedas Yemeni branch. Authorities blame Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for the killings of between 200 and 350 senior army officers in Yemen in the past three years. Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 19:58:32 +0000
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