Ceylal
ELITE MEMBER
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2012
- Messages
- 8,577
- Reaction score
- -7
- Country
- Location
ALGERIA
02/12/2018 12h: 50 CET
In Yemen, the unexpected resilience of the HOUTHIS
The Houthis, let us note, are followers of Zaïdisme, a version of Shiism very close to the Sunnism
FRANCE 24
Against all odds, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have for nearly four years been fighting for a powerful military coalition led by Saudi Arabia based on tribal alliances, a military arsenal taken from the military and their own wartime experience.
In July 2014, they launched from their fief in the North an offensive that allows them to seize vast territories and take in January 2015 full control of the capital Sanaa. The military coalition intervenes in March 2015 to help the power to stop their progress.
Who are the Houthis?
The rebels are called Houthis in reference to their historic leader Badr Eddine al-Houthi and his son Hussein, killed by Yemeni forces in 2004.
They recruit among the followers of Zaïdisme, a version of Shiism close to the Sunnism.
These rebels form a movement called "Ansarullah", which succeeded the Youth Movement of the Faith (Harakat Chabab al-Moumen) born in 1992 to protest against the discrimination, according to him, against the Zaïdit who represent 30% of the population Yemenite.
The Houthis have forged strong relations with Sunni tribes hostile to the Hached tribal confederacy, powerful in the North and which has provided the country with its main political leaders until the years 2010.
They were able to improve their image by actively participating in the protest against former President Ali Abdallah Saleh, in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011.
"Most Houthis come from the North where they have good knowledge of the terrain but what helps them (too) is their collaboration with local tribes," said Aleksandar Mitreski, a security and defense analyst.
"It's a tribal society, and the rebels are taking advantage of it. Tribal support plays an important role in this conflict, "he adds.
Where do their weapons come from?
Yemeni tribes are traditionally well armed. The rebels were also able to count on the huge arsenal taken from the army, including tanks and ballistic missiles from which dozens were fired at Saudi Arabia.
"90% of the Houthi's armaments come from the army stocks they took after they entered Sanaa in September 2014," said General Abdou Majli, a spokesman for the government's close forces, recognized by the International community.
The looting of these stocks took place with "the complicity of military leaders loyal to Saleh, who handed over whole camps to the Houthis," he told AFP.
Coalition aviation has destroyed many weapons depots since 2015, but the rebels have been able to "remove large quantities of weapons and hide them in cellars and caches in Saada (their northern stronghold) and Omrane ", north of Sanaa, he added.
The rebels are also manufacturing, according to him, missiles and drones.
They have also planted huge amounts of mines around areas under their control since the beginning of their offensive. Among them, the perimeter of the port city of Hodeida (west), essential for the delivery of food aid.
Who are their supporters?
Saudi Arabia and its US ally have accused Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, including missile components. Iran admits to supporting the Houthis but denies providing them with weapons.
Iran regularly denounces the intervention of the coalition on the initiative of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to the coalition, Hezbollah military advisers were killed in Yemen, which, according to her, credited the thesis of the involvement of the pro-Iranian Shiite Lebanese movement in the conflict. What this movement has denied.
A former Yemeni warfare general, Jamal Mamari, said Iranian experts and weapons were flown to Yemen in early 2015.
Where does the war experience come from?
The Houthis fought the Yemeni army six times between 2004 and 2010. They came into conflict with Saudi Arabia in 2009/2010, making an incursion into Saudi territory.
The coalition failed to win a clear victory against the Houthis despite mastery of the sky and tremendous firepower.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another pillar of the coalition, lost dozens of soldiers in the war.
The coalition "underestimated the resilience of the Houthis," according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group think tank.
"There is a consensus among coalition leaders, Western officials and analysts that the Houthis are resourceful, committed, experienced and ruthless, and that basic fighters are likely to fight to the last man. 'they are called to do it,' writes the analysis center.
02/12/2018 12h: 50 CET
In Yemen, the unexpected resilience of the HOUTHIS
The Houthis, let us note, are followers of Zaïdisme, a version of Shiism very close to the Sunnism
- AFP
FRANCE 24
Against all odds, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have for nearly four years been fighting for a powerful military coalition led by Saudi Arabia based on tribal alliances, a military arsenal taken from the military and their own wartime experience.
In July 2014, they launched from their fief in the North an offensive that allows them to seize vast territories and take in January 2015 full control of the capital Sanaa. The military coalition intervenes in March 2015 to help the power to stop their progress.
Who are the Houthis?
The rebels are called Houthis in reference to their historic leader Badr Eddine al-Houthi and his son Hussein, killed by Yemeni forces in 2004.
They recruit among the followers of Zaïdisme, a version of Shiism close to the Sunnism.
These rebels form a movement called "Ansarullah", which succeeded the Youth Movement of the Faith (Harakat Chabab al-Moumen) born in 1992 to protest against the discrimination, according to him, against the Zaïdit who represent 30% of the population Yemenite.
The Houthis have forged strong relations with Sunni tribes hostile to the Hached tribal confederacy, powerful in the North and which has provided the country with its main political leaders until the years 2010.
They were able to improve their image by actively participating in the protest against former President Ali Abdallah Saleh, in the wake of the Arab Spring in 2011.
"Most Houthis come from the North where they have good knowledge of the terrain but what helps them (too) is their collaboration with local tribes," said Aleksandar Mitreski, a security and defense analyst.
"It's a tribal society, and the rebels are taking advantage of it. Tribal support plays an important role in this conflict, "he adds.
Where do their weapons come from?
Yemeni tribes are traditionally well armed. The rebels were also able to count on the huge arsenal taken from the army, including tanks and ballistic missiles from which dozens were fired at Saudi Arabia.
"90% of the Houthi's armaments come from the army stocks they took after they entered Sanaa in September 2014," said General Abdou Majli, a spokesman for the government's close forces, recognized by the International community.
The looting of these stocks took place with "the complicity of military leaders loyal to Saleh, who handed over whole camps to the Houthis," he told AFP.
Coalition aviation has destroyed many weapons depots since 2015, but the rebels have been able to "remove large quantities of weapons and hide them in cellars and caches in Saada (their northern stronghold) and Omrane ", north of Sanaa, he added.
The rebels are also manufacturing, according to him, missiles and drones.
They have also planted huge amounts of mines around areas under their control since the beginning of their offensive. Among them, the perimeter of the port city of Hodeida (west), essential for the delivery of food aid.
Who are their supporters?
Saudi Arabia and its US ally have accused Iran of providing military support to the Houthis, including missile components. Iran admits to supporting the Houthis but denies providing them with weapons.
Iran regularly denounces the intervention of the coalition on the initiative of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
According to the coalition, Hezbollah military advisers were killed in Yemen, which, according to her, credited the thesis of the involvement of the pro-Iranian Shiite Lebanese movement in the conflict. What this movement has denied.
A former Yemeni warfare general, Jamal Mamari, said Iranian experts and weapons were flown to Yemen in early 2015.
Where does the war experience come from?
The Houthis fought the Yemeni army six times between 2004 and 2010. They came into conflict with Saudi Arabia in 2009/2010, making an incursion into Saudi territory.
The coalition failed to win a clear victory against the Houthis despite mastery of the sky and tremendous firepower.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, another pillar of the coalition, lost dozens of soldiers in the war.
The coalition "underestimated the resilience of the Houthis," according to a recent report by the International Crisis Group think tank.
"There is a consensus among coalition leaders, Western officials and analysts that the Houthis are resourceful, committed, experienced and ruthless, and that basic fighters are likely to fight to the last man. 'they are called to do it,' writes the analysis center.
