South Yemen has increasingly fallen under militant control as the political crisis continues in the capital. Al Qaeda-linked groups are gaining strength in southern Yemen.

Militants surround the former capital of south Yemen, Aden. Various groups of armed militants, some linked to al Qaeda, have taken control of key cities in the south and are beginning to contest control over Aden. A suicide car bomber attacked an army post in Aden, killing three soldiers and injuring four others. The Yemeni military continues to conduct airstrikes on militant targets and to contest militants’ control of territory in Abyan governorate. Islamist groups have distributed leaflets warning traders to follow Islamic law in Lawder and Mudia in Abyan.

Protestors continued to demonstrate in key Yemeni cities. Hundreds of thousands of people protested in Sana’a, Ibb, and Taiz, among other cities.

The president’s son voiced support for the ongoing political negotiations. Ahmed Saleh, who commands Yemen’s elite Republican Guard units, supported the talks between the vice president and the opposition. Yemen’s defense ministry reported that the Republican Guard forces will follow the vice president’s orders. Opposition leaders have said that if a transition of power does not occur, they will form an interim governing council.

The Yemeni state is undergoing fragmentation and a resolution to the political crisis in the capital will not result in a unified state. The current situation has increased al Qaeda's operating space in Yemen.

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