Fierce fight in Yemen for key city of Taiz as Houthi rebels lose ground

Although early reports claimed forces loyal to the Yemen government-in-exile had retaken Taiz, it appears only parts of the city are under their control.

+ Add Image

Taiz is the third largest city in Yemen and has been called "the gateway to Sanaa," the capital which is still occupied by the Houthi rebels. An entire 24 hours of fighting has killed at least 81 people, 50 Houthis and 31 loyal to the Saudi-based government-in-exile of President Hadi. The civilian toll in the fighting is unknown. The loyalists are backed by Saudi air strikes. The city has been contested for some time.

Recent reports indicate the loyalist forces captured intelligence headquarters in the city and also command a mountaintop nearby that they had captured earlier. However, Houthis and their allies are said to still occupy two military bases in the city. With the advance of the Saudi-supported forces throughout the south following the capture of Aden, the country increasingly looks to be divided between a north held by Houthis and their allies and the south that is held by forces loyal to the Hadi government. Many of the local militia in the south fighting the Houthis belong to the Southern Movement that will demand more autonomy or even independence for the south. In the past the south was a separate state the Republic of South Yemen with unification taking place in May 1990. The Saudi-led coalition has provided forces supporting Hadi modern heavy equipment, including tanks and armoured personnel carriers. Some Yemeni soldiers have been trained in Saudi Arabia.

The governor of the recaptured southern port city of Aden said that the city would be declared the capital of Yemen for the next five years. He also said it would be the focus of reconstruction in that period. This declaration has led some analysts to wonder if the Hadi government considers that it may take a half decade to regain control of the northern areas and the capital. The southern movement may attempt to convince the Hadi government that the south should be independent again. When in power, Hadi had been in conflict with the southern movement. The southern movement militia may not have the same agenda as the Hadi government-in-exile.

So far the civil war has killed more than 4,300 people, many civilians. It has spread disease and hunger throughout the country creating a humanitarian disaster. Recent bombings have resulted in more civilian casualties.

Al Qaeda in Yemen release more than 1,200 prisoners from prison in city of Taiz

News agency Saba reported that supporters of Al-Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula(AQAP) attacked the central prison in the city of Taiz and released more than 1,200 prisoners.

+ Add Image

This is the largest release of several prison breaks that have freed Yemeni militants. Narratives vary as to exactly how the break happened. It is not clear how many of the prisoners were Al-Qaeda suspects. A local official said the prisoners were able to leave amid heavy clashes between AQAP fighters and army units loyal to former president Saleh, who supports the Houthi rebellion. The Houthis entered the city in March in their advance into the south. A security official claimed that forces linked to Saleh had allowed the prisoners to escape as the Al-Qaeda-linked forces, called "popular commitees" advanced. These groups may be of both AQAP fighters and local Sunni tribal fighters who have joined forces to combat the Houthis. One official said: "Heavy fighting took place near the central prison and the popular committees approached and seized control of the area, but Saleh's forces opened the prison doors."

Three months of bombing has done little to push back the Houthi advance. In the rare cases where the Houthis are losing it is to AQAP or popular militia of the Southern Movement, who want an independent South Yemen. There appears little support for restoring Hadi among those in the battle. Back in April, AQAP released many militants from a prison in Mukalla after army forces loyal to Hadi's government in exile left the city with virtually no resistance.

The Islamic State has become more active in the battle against the Houthis with several violent suicide bombings. The latest attack in Sanaa killed at least 28 people according to local medics.The car bomb targeted two brothers who were mourning the death of a relative. Eight women were among those killed. In March a series of bombings of Houthi mosques killed 142.

The Saudi bombings have continued with some attacks happening in residential areas as they target residences of rebel leaders or Saleh supporters. One attack damaged a historic site and a recent attack hit a UN compound in Aden. A guard was injured at the office of the UN Development Programme in Aden and there was serious damage to the compound according to UN spokesperson Farhan Haq. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a full investigation of the strike. Clashes continue in Aden. There were talks between Houthis and Southern Movement militia in Oman. Some forces have been withdrawn from Aden by the Houthis to reinforce other areas. However, conflict has not ceased in the city.