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Yemeni security forces and tribesmen are cooperating in south Yemen against al Qaeda-linked militants. The militants have taken control of large swathes of territory in Abyan governorate.
Fighting has intensified in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan governorate. Hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen have joined the government to oust al Qaeda-linked militants from the city. An additional 500 troops were deployed to Abyan, along with 450 tribesmen. Yemeni naval ships and tanks launched rockets at the militant-controlled city. A local official reported at least twenty militants had been killed. Tribesmen report militants have been pushed out of Mudia, Jaar, and Mehfed.
Violence in Taiz has escalated. At least seven people were killed July 15 in clashes with security forces. The city remains divided between government and opposition tribal forces.
Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis turned out to protest the Yemeni regime across the country. President Ali Abdullah Saleh began ruling Yemen 33 years ago. Yemen’s deputy minister of information Abdul Janadi said that Saleh would return to Yemen shortly.
Yemen’s youth movement announced the establishment of a transitional council. The 17-member council included the names of former southern government officials and leaders of the opposition, some members of the opposition have denounced the council. The new council will be tasked with appointing a 501-member national assembly.
A resolution to the political crisis in the capital will not end the fragmentation of the Yemeni state. The current situation has increased al Qaeda's operating space in Yemen.