Skip to main content

In Aden, Yemeni activists still live in fear

Two years after Houthi rebels were expelled from Aden, Yemenis are fleeing the port city as militias and extremists are increasingly targeting activists, intellectuals and anyone opposing their views.
An aerial view shows Aden's City in southern Yemen November 30, 2010. REUTERS/Mohammed Dabbous/File Photo - RTX2JVS5

SANAA, Yemen — During its modern history, Aden has represented a unique model for coexistence and tolerance, as it is the only city in Yemen housing citizens from all regions, religions and races. But its history has been put to the test like never before.

Since the Houthis and former President Ali Abdullah Saleh were expelled from Aden in July 2015, following 3½ months of bloody battles with forces loyal to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who is backed by the Arab coalition forces, Aden’s openness has declined amid the takeover of extremist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), al-Qaeda and the Salafists.

On May 15, an anonymous armed man shot activist Amjad Abdul Rahman, 21, in the head, killing him instantly inside an internet cafe in Aden's Sheikh Othman district.

A close friend of Rahman’s told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing his life, “Amjad was threatened by Salafists who accused him of atheism. They told him that his life would be at risk unless he repented.” Rahman was a member of a cultural club called Al-Nasieh, which was established by secular citizens and intellectuals in 2016. The club discusses religion and women’s rights, which extremists consider prohibited.

After his assassination, armed men in a military vehicle affiliated with Salafist Imam al-Nubi, the commander of a security camp called Liwaa 20, blocked the road in front of Rahman’s funeral procession and prevented his burial, under the pretext that he was an infidel who should not be buried in a Muslim graveyard.

On April 25, 2016, Omar Batweel, a 17-year-old Yemeni activist who opposed religious extremism, was also shot dead in al-Mansoura district in Aden. The victim had received letters accusing him of atheism and telling him he would be killed. Batweel was found drenched in blood in the street, and the incident shook the Yemeni people.

On June 3, activist Mohammad Kheir Othman, 17, was assassinated while leaving a sports stadium in Breiqa district. An unknown person shot him in the head. The way he was killed resembles that of Batweel and Rahman, although there is no proof that extremists carried out the assassination. Othman was not known to the public, which perhaps pushed investigations into his death into the background.

Tawakkol Karman, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and activist, told Al-Monitor, “The situation of freedom of expression, thought and belief has become horrendous in Aden. Extremists have blended into the Security Belt Forces that are funded and managed by the United Arab Emirates and that control the security situation in south Yemen. These forces are keeping mum about the murders and they might even be giving the operations their blessings.”

The Security Belt Forces were founded in spring 2016. They are officially affiliated with Yemen’s Ministry of Interior, but their funding and command come from the UAE. Human Rights Watch said that these forces have strayed too far from the Yemeni government’s authority, and they control at least two unofficial detention centers in Aden and have tortured and arrested many people.

Most ministers of the Yemeni government live in Riyadh, and their absence has fed the weakness of this government and encouraged the rise of militias and extremists clamping down on freedoms and religious beliefs.

In March 2016, four armed men attacked a home for the elderly in Aden, killing four Indian nuns, two Yemeni employees, eight elderly residents and a guard.

Nasma Mansour, a civil engineering student at the University of Aden, told Al-Monitor, “Murder in Aden has become commonplace and is given strange justifications. I know somebody who was killed for being reportedly gay.”

She added, “Activists have been leaving Aden one after the other. The situation is tense, and my family has forbidden me from leaving the house because of the dangerous situation.”

Mansour said that freedom of thought in Aden “is long gone. If you criticize religious groups, you are an atheist. If you criticize the weak local authority, you are definitely an Islah Party member [in reference to the party’s affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood]. If you attack the Southern Movement — an armed faction seeking the independence of south Yemen — then you are an agent and advocate of Saleh. The accusations against activists are ready-made and each party is willing to go to extremes against its opponents.”

Failure to instill order and security in Aden reflects how hard it will be for Hadi to keep his promises of regaining control of all the cities that the Houthis took over.

Activists in Aden accuse Islamists of waging war on them. It is difficult though to pin down the party responsible for the attacks, given the numerous armed groups such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, IS’ Yemen wing and the prevalent Salafists.

Mohammad Ali told Al-Monitor that he left Aden along with 10 other young men for fear of assassination. Ali, a writer, escaped to India on Dec. 29, 2016, after two people, one of whom was hooded and the other carried a gun that produced muffled shots, tried to kill him.

He added, “I know three activists who are still in Aden. Nobody is pursuing them, but I fear for them from extremists.”

A teacher at the University of Aden told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “Regardless of who is responsible for this systematic clampdown on the freedom of belief, it seems that regaining security and stability in Aden is not a priority for the Arab coalition forces. This jeopardizes the credibility of the coalition before the Yemeni public.”

Amal Mohammad is a media activist who arrived in Sanaa from Aden four months ago with her husband and child. She told Al-Monitor that she had been threatened and left Aden out of fear, but that she continues to write on her Facebook page about freedom of thought and to criticize radicalism.

Mohammad, who worked at the Aden public media office, misses her family, but returning to Aden would be dangerous. She said, “The party that threatened me is the same that killed Batweel. This was mentioned in the threat I received on Facebook

Hadi’s grip on Aden is loosening, while extremists and armed militias are gaining ground. The situation worsened after Aden’s governor, Aidaroos al-Zubaidi, was dismissed April 27. Hadi’s decision sparked the Southern Movement’s secession calls, in the hope of establishing a self-rule authority in south Yemen, which had been an independent state until 1990.

Zubaidi is one of the leaders of the movement calling for secession. When Hadi decided to dismiss him, the Southern Movement considered that a way to target Zubaidi's project for secession.

Amid all this chaos, Yemen is facing its worst days. The civil war has killed 10,000 civilians since 2015, while diseases like cholera have claimed the lives of those who escaped the conflict. Meanwhile, the ghost of famine lingers, threatening the lives of 20 million Yemenis.

Join hundreds of Middle East professionals with Al-Monitor PRO.

Business and policy professionals use PRO to monitor the regional economy and improve their reports, memos and presentations. Try it for free and cancel anytime.

Already a Member? Sign in

Free

The Middle East's Best Newsletters

Join over 50,000 readers who access our journalists dedicated newsletters, covering the top political, security, business and tech issues across the region each week.
Delivered straight to your inbox.

Free

What's included:
Our Expertise

Free newsletters available:

  • The Takeaway & Week in Review
  • Middle East Minute (AM)
  • Daily Briefing (PM)
  • Business & Tech Briefing
  • Security Briefing
  • Gulf Briefing
  • Israel Briefing
  • Palestine Briefing
  • Turkey Briefing
  • Iraq Briefing
Expert

Premium Membership

Join the Middle East's most notable experts for premium memos, trend reports, live video Q&A, and intimate in-person events, each detailing exclusive insights on business and geopolitical trends shaping the region.

$25.00 / month
billed annually

Become Member Start with 1-week free trial
What's included:
Our Expertise AI-driven

Memos - premium analytical writing: actionable insights on markets and geopolitics.

Live Video Q&A - Hear from our top journalists and regional experts.

Special Events - Intimate in-person events with business & political VIPs.

Trend Reports - Deep dive analysis on market updates.

All premium Industry Newsletters - Monitor the Middle East's most important industries. Prioritize your target industries for weekly review:

  • Capital Markets & Private Equity
  • Venture Capital & Startups
  • Green Energy
  • Supply Chain
  • Sustainable Development
  • Leading Edge Technology
  • Oil & Gas
  • Real Estate & Construction
  • Banking

We also offer team plans. Please send an email to pro.support@al-monitor.com and we'll onboard your team.

Already a Member? Sign in

Gulf Briefing Gulf Briefing

Gulf Briefing

Top GCC stories in your inbox each week

Trend Reports

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R) attends a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (3rd L) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on February 22, 2019. (Photo by HOW HWEE YOUNG / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read HOW HWEE YOUNG/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

From roads to routers: The future of China-Middle East connectivity

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Premium

Regulations on Middle East renewable energy industry starting to take shape

Start your PRO membership today.

Join the Middle East's top business and policy professionals to access exclusive PRO insights today.

Join Al-Monitor PRO Start with 1-week free trial