News from Yemen

Yemen

OCTOBER 25

Yemen has denied media reports that Turkey requested to establish a training camp for the Free Syrian Army in the country, the Al-Shara'a newspaper reported. | Yemen Post

UN Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar met with senior leaders of the Southern Movement in the port city of Aden to discuss their participation in the national dialogue conference. | Yemen Post

OCTOBER 24

The UN Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has affirmed that the national dialogue conference that was scheduled for November 15 will be postponed because the dialogue committee still faces many challenges. | Yemen Post

Yemeni authorities have revealed an al-Qaeda plot to retake control of cities in the southern province of Abyan including former strongholds such as the strategic city of Jaar, the interior ministry reported. | Yemen Post

OCTOBER 23

President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi chaired a meeting with some politicians and parliamentarians in the presence of UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Bin Omar. The president reviewed plans to achieve a new electoral register to ensure free and fair elections. | Saba Net

Yemen’s security authorities have taken tight security measures in the capital Sana’a in anticipation of any violent acts that may occur during the Muslim religious holiday Eid al-Adha. | Sahwa Net

Yemeni security forces seized a half-kilo of explosive materials, two Russian-made bombs, and landmines in a package that was sent from Hadhramout to the capital Sana’a. | Sahwa Net

OCTOBER 22

The preparatory committee for Yemen’s comprehensive national dialogue conference approved the formation of a conciliation committee that will work to reach compromises on disputes that may arise during the conference this November. | Saba Net

Four alleged members of al-Qaeda were killed in Yemen on Sunday in a strike carried out by a U.S. drone against their vehicle in Maarib province east of Sana’a. | Gulf News

An accidental blast at an army ammunitions depot stocked with mines and explosives killed six soldiers in south Yemen on Monday, a local municipality official said. | AFP

OCTOBER 19

At least fifteen Yemeni troops were killed and more than a dozen injured when suspected al-Qaeda militants attacked a heavily guarded government military base in southern Yemen, security officials said. | CNN

Yemeni revolution activists are angered that U.S. Ambassador to Yemen Gerald M. Feierstein plans to attend an event that will be organized by the pro-Saleh Yemen-American Political Action Committee (YAPAC) in the United States on October 20. | Yemen Post

Security forces in Somalia's Puntland autonomous region have seized a depot of arms and bomb material along the country's northern coastline, in another sign that al-Qaeda militants in Yemen are working closely with militants in Somalia. | All Africa

OCTOBER 18

At least seven civilians were injured, one seriously, when the police tried to disperse clashing pro-secession and pro-unity protesters in Shabwa province. | Yemen Post

A drone aircraft fired into a group of people preparing to attack Yemeni troops on Thursday, killing a man identified as a leader of the local branch of al-Qaeda and at least eight other potential attackers, according to Yemeni and security officials, who said the drone was American-operated. | New York Times

Yemenis who fled the fighting after al-Qaeda militants occupied their home towns are now under pressure to go home. Many are hesitating for fear of the group's lingering influence, despite assurances that the area east of Aden is now safe. | Daily Star

OCTOBER 17

Suspected al-Qaeda militants attacked a checkpoint run by pro-government popular committees, which have been supporting the Yemeni army in its war on militants in the south, killing at least six. | Yemen Post

Al-Qaeda has assassinated about 60 Yemeni intelligence officers across Yemen since the beginning of 2012, according to security sources. The assassinations have increased over the past several months and have been focused on high-ranking officers. | Yemen Post

Yemeni security forces thwarted a terrorist bombing in the port city of Aden on Tuesday. Security forces raided the Rimi neighborhood in al-Mansoura, but the al-Qaeda militants managed to escape. | Yemen Post

OCTOBER 16

Two masked men on a motorcycle shot an Iraqi military adviser to Yemen's army on Tuesday, security and medical sources said, extending a series of killings bearing the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. | Reuters

A Sana'a court specializing in terrorism sentenced six Yemenis to between one and five years in prison for "belonging to al-Qaeda" and plotting attacks in Yemen. | Sahwa Net

Over 100 U.S. armored tanks were delivered to Yemen's defense ministry, state sources affirmed, and twelve armored vehicles were sent in order to protect the U.S. Embassy. | Sahwa Net

OCTOBER 15

A Yemeni fighter jet crashed during takeoff on Monday in a routine training mission in the south, killing the pilot and wounding another crew member, the defense ministry said in a statement. | Daily Star

OCTOBER 11

Masked gunmen shot a Yemeni man on his way to work at the U.S. embassy in Sana’a on Thursday, the latest in a wave of assassinations in the Arab state where Washington is battling al-Qaeda militants. | Reuters

Yemen’s only liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal began exporting LNG again this week, after being forced to shut down when its feed pipeline was blown up in late September. | Reuters

The Gulf Cooperation Council launched an office in Sana'a with the aim of enhancing cooperation with Yemen. | Yemen Post

OCTOBER 10

A Yemeni official said Wednesday that security forces have detained a U.S. citizen suspected of having links to al-Qaeda. Authorities arrested the suspect Monday in a hotel in the southern city of Shabwa, a former al-Qaeda stronghold. | Washington Post; Yemen Post

Thousands of teachers are carrying out protests in front of the governate building in Ibb, demanding better conditions and higher salaries. | Sahwa Net

The Yemeni Oil Minister will sign an agreement with the French oil company Total on Thursday. Total has agreed to more than double Yemeni gas prices, beginning next year. | Sahwa Net

OCTOBER 9

Al-Qaeda militants have beheaded three Yemeni men in the provincial city of Maarib after accusing them of spying on their operations, a tribal source close to the Islamist militants said on Tuesday. | Reuters

The capital police briefly stormed the Interior Ministry over the weekend in protest of deployment into southern regions and being replaced by what they called “Islamist militants,” a security source said. | Yemen Observer

Yemen has dismantled a spy ring that included Iranians and Syrians who entered the country posing as investors looking to set up a factory, the defense ministry said on its website Monday. | Al-Arabiya

Tribesmen yesterday kidnapped eight people, among them two Syrians and two Saudis, in southwestern Yemen in a bid to secure the release of two fellow tribesmen, a tribal chief said. | Al-Arabiya

OCTOBER 4

Four al-Qaeda-linked militants were killed in an apparent U.S. drone strike on Thursday in a remote part of southern Yemen, a security official and residents said. | Sahwa Net; Reuters

Two bombs went off at the local council headquarters in Yemen's southern city of Ma'ala, wounding two soldiers. The attackers, whose affiliation was not immediately clear, fled the scene and security forces defused a third bomb found at the building. | Reuters

Yemeni security forces nabbed two Al-Qaeda militants at a checkpoint in the southern city of Aden, a security official said. | Yemen Online

OCTOBER 3

A Yemeni alliance of groups that want independence for the south said in a statement Wednesday that they will boycott next month’s national dialogue proposed by the government in Sanaa. | Middle East Online

The Studies and Economic Media Center has revealed that 90% of the customs fees at Yemen’s ports have been lost because traders and customs officials forge purchase and sale bills of imported products. | Al-Bawaba

Yemen’s council of ministers approved an updated water strategy and investment program, in a move that aims to ration the use of the country’s dwindling water resources. | Yemen Post

OCTOBER 2

Yemeni security forces killed three militant leaders on Tuesday when they stormed a house used by al-Qaeda for making bombs, the interior and defense ministries said. | Reuters

Yemeni tribal leaders held a meeting in Sana’a in which they discussed Houthi militant attempts to expand in some Yemeni governorates. Yemeni analysts say the Houthi group seeks to operate as a proxy of Iran, asserting that it receives support from Iran and former president Ali Abdulllah Saleh. | Yemen Post

Hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters left Yemen for Syria to join the fight against Bashar al-Assad’s forces, according to various media sources. Sheikh Tariq al-Fadhly said that hundreds of al-Qaeda fighters were transported from Abyan province in south Yemen to Syria. | Yemen Observer

OCTOBER 1

Yemen and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement on Sunday that will give Yemen $180 million to support the development of areas affected by the war against terrorism in Abyan province. | Al-Bawaba

An al-Qaeda suicide bomber killed himself and injured five other people after he detonated his explosives at a gathering led by the deputy director of Lawder city in Yemen’s Abyan province on Saturday, security sources told the Yemen Post. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s defense ministry has denied that five military officers reportedly being held by rebels in Syria were sent to fight alongside government forces. An official told BBC Arabic that the soldiers had been studying at a military academy in Aleppo and were detained as they tried to travel home. | BBC

SEPTEMBER 28

Yemeni President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi met with top U.S. officials on Thursday in the wake of violent protests. A U.S. official said Hadi held talks with President Barack Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser John Brennan at the White House. | Al-Ahram

A civilian was killed and four others were injured in clashes between the security forces and gunmen in Yemen’s southern Taiz province, where the local government has imposed strict measures to disarm civilians. | Yemen Post

With billions of aid dollars set to pour into Yemen, humanitarian agencies are calling for greater transparency in its allocation, warning that not enough of the funds appear designated for the country’s dire humanitarian situation. | Relief Web

SEPTEMBER 27

Three children died on Thursday in an explosion in front of a courthouse in a remote province of Yemen, where al-Qaeda militants are challenging central government authority, a security source said. | Reuters

The hunger crisis in Yemen, which affects almost one out of every two Yemeni citizens, and is putting nearly one million children at risk of severe malnutrition, must be addressed immediately to put the fragile country on the path to a better future, eight international and Yemeni aid agencies said today. | Yemen Observer

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Yemen’s president Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi urged the international community to fulfill its pledges to support Yemen. Speaking in the 67th regular session of the UN General Assembly held in New York, Hadi affirmed his full commitment to the implementation of the Gulf initiative. | Yemen Observer

SEPTEMBER 26

Yemen’s president said he would talk to his country’s branch of the al-Qaeda militant network if it were to give up its weapons, abandon its extremist ideas, and stop sheltering foreign fighters. Al-Qaeda, however, has shown little indication that it would want to pursue a dialogue, especially under Hadi’s conditions. | AP

A natural gas company with operations in Yemen confirmed that insurgents bombed a natural gas pipeline running to a terminal on the Gulf of Aden. Violence in Yemen has been attributed to fighters loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh and separately to al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). | UPI

The UN Security Council has approved dispatching a UN mission to Yemen with the aim of evaluating the country’s political settlement and the implementation of UN resolutions 2014 and 2051. Yemeni officials said that the mission will be led by the UN Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar, affirming that it will prepare a final report about the political process, difficulties, and challenges. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 25

A masked gunman shot a senior intelligence official in Sanaa on Monday, the latest in a series of assassinations in Yemen as the U.S.-allied government battles al-Qaeda militants. | Reuters

Yemen is on the verge of a major humanitarian crisis, the UN's World Food Program warned Tuesday, calling for more funds to help the country where nearly half the population is going hungry. | AFP

An official at the Defense Ministry refuted rumors released in some newspapers and websites saying that President Abdo Rabu Mansour Hadi transferred power to Defense Minister Mohammed Naser Ahmed during his visit to the United States and a number of European countries. | Saba Net

SEPTEMBER 24

Twelve fighters were killed in northern Yemen on Saturday in ongoing clashes between Shiite tribesmen allied with the country's former leader and ultraconservative Sunnis, as the new president grapples with challenges to his authority. | Business Week

After fierce clashes between Houthi rebels and militants of the Islah party in Rayda, Houthi rebels withdrew their militants and handed over 36 prisoners of war that they had captured during the past two days. | Yemen Observer

President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi left Yemen Sunday for the United Kingdom on the first stop of an official visit, which will include a number of European countries and the United States | Yemen Times

SEPTEMBER 21

A Yemeni Salafist was killed and several others were injured on Friday in clashes with Shiite Zaidi rebels in the country's north, tribal sources said. | Al-Ahram

Yemeni politicians said that the presence of American marines in the capital Sanaa will cause al-Qaeda to gain greater influence. | Yemen Observer

Diplomats from several nations backing Yemen’s political transition are recommending international sanctions against loyalists of the former president, southern secessionists, and members of the largest Islamist group for undermining the country’s path to democracy. | Washington Post

SEPTEMBER 20

The security chief of Al-Mahafad district of Abyan revealed that about 400 al-Qaeda militants are flowing eastward to carry out attacks in Sana’a, Aden, and other cities. He said that Al-Mahfad is a connection point between militants from Abyan, Hadhramout, Shabwah, and Marib. | Yemen Post

The Customs administration in cooperation with Police at Sana’a International Airport foiled 18 attempts to smuggle 316 different artifacts, weapons, counterfeit currency, Qat, drugs and medicines to and from Yemen during the first half of this year. | Yemen Observer

The Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS) reported that Yemeni populations with the greatest current vulnerability to acute food insecurity include the households displaced by conflict in southern Yemen, the households hosting recently displaced people in southern Yemen, and households remaining in or returning to areas affected by conflict in southern Yemen. | Yemen Observer

SEPTEMBER 19

Yemen will investigate alleged human rights violations that occurred during an uprising last year, possibly opening the way to prosecute ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh and his relatives. | Reuters

The UN Security Council has declared its support for the decisions issued by President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi on restructuring security and military institutions. | Saba Net

Human Rights Minister Huriah Mashhoor anticipates that the transitional justice law will be ratified by President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi and referred to parliament soon. Minister of Legal Affairs, Mohammad Al-Mikhlafi, said that the transitional justice law will uncover violations against human rights through hearing from victims, their relatives, and witnesses. It will also create a national registration of violations. | Sahwa Net

SEPTEMBER 18

Western embassies in Sana'a have taken protective measures around their compounds after al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula asked its militants to target foreign diplomats. | Yemen Post

At the Friends of Yemen meeting, to be held at the UN on September 27, Yemen is expected to receive a comprehensive funding package of $15 billion to improve economic security and development. | Sahwa Net

Hundreds of Yemeni students demonstrated, calling for the expulsion of the American ambassador and condemning the arrival of 50 U.S. Marines to protect the U.S. embassy. | Gulf Today

SEPTEMBER 17

According to a senior government official, the platoon of U.S. Marines sent to Yemen are on a temporary deployment and their only role will be to protect the American embassyafter it was stormed by demonstrators. | Reuters

Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen, AQAP, praised the attack against the U.S. embassy in Libya as well as attacks against U.S. embassies in Egypt and Yemen and urged Muslims worldwide to attack American interests. | Yemen Observer

Parliament has demanded that the United States apologize to Muslims and hold all parties involved in producing the anti-Islam film accountable. The parliament called for the expulsion of U.S. Marines that were deployed to Sana’a following recent protests outside the U.S. embassy. | Sahwa Net

SEPTEMBER 14

Security forces in Yemen have shot live rounds in the air and fired tear gas at a crowd of around 2,000 protesters trying to march to the U.S. Embassy in the capital Sanaa. Friday's protest comes a day after hundreds of protesters chanting "death to America" stormed the embassy compound and burned the American flag. The embassy said no one was harmed. | AP

UN Envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has said that the immunity given to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh by Yemen's parliament contradicts UN resolutions 2014 and 2015. Benomar affirmed that some political actors in Yemen are seeking to impede the GCC-crafted power transfer deal. | Sahwa Net

Exiled southern Yemeni leader Ali Salem al-Baid said he has decided to return to his country to press for the independence of Yemen's south. "My return to Yemen is only a matter of time and is based on consultations with Southern Movement leaders inside the country," he told AFP in a telephone interview from exile in Beirut. | AFP

SEPTEMBER 13

There were clashes Thursday between anti-U.S. protesters and Yemeni police at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa. A large group of protesters reached the walled compound, but failed to breach any of the buildings inside the compound as police fired warning shots to try to disperse the crowd. | Reuters

Yemen’s president apologized to Obama for the attack on the US embassy and ordered an investigation into incident. | Sahwa Net; Washington Post

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in a rally demanding the prosecution of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Revolution’s Organizing Committee organized the demonstration, which began at Bab Al-Yemen and moved through the city. The protestors chanted slogans demanding an end to the immunity law and that Saleh leave the country. | Yemen Times

SEPTEMBER 12

Yemen's president replaced security officials and ministers late on Tuesday, in an apparent move to reduce the influence of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, following an attempt on the defense minister's life. | Reuters; Yemen Post

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Sana'a condemning terrorism and supporting the decisions President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued in the aftermath of the attack targeting the defense minister on Tuesday. | Sahwa Net

A Yemeni prisoner who died in his cell at the Guantanamo Bay naval base was suicidal and mentally ill and had won a U.S. court order for his release, only to have it overturned on appeal, according to his lawyer and court records. The military identified the dead detainee on Tuesday as Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, 32, from Al Udayn, Yemen. | Reuters

SEPTEMBER 11

An airstrike killed al-Qaeda's number two leader in Yemen along with five others traveling with him in a car on Monday, senior Yemeni Defense Ministry officials reported. The officials said the missile that killed Mr. al-Shehri, a Saudi national, was believed to have been fired by a U.S. operated drone, but that couldn't immediately be confirmed. | Wall Street Journal

Yemen's defense minister escaped an assassination attempt on Tuesday but at least seven people died in the car bombing targeting him, government sources said. Witnesses said the blast happened as Major General Muhammad Nasir Ahmad's motorcade left the prime minister's office in Sanaa after a cabinet meeting. | Reuters; Yemen Post

The General People Congress (GPC) party has threatened Yemeni protesters stating that demonstrations held in front of Saleh’s residency and the Presidential palace are crossing a “red line.” The GPC released a statement asserting that such demonstrations aim to break down the GCC-crafted power transfer deal. | Sahwa Net

SEPTEMBER 6

The head of the Joint Meeting Parties Sultan al-Atwani has accused former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his aides of blowing up oil and gas pipelines, stating that Saleh is using tribesmen to attack government facilities. | Yemen Post

A Houthi group executed a building worker in Amran governorate on spying charges, accusing him of spying for the United States and Israel. An independent lawmaker, Ali al-Mamari, called on the Houthi group to engage in political life, adding that they should be considered terrorists if they refuse. | Yemen Post

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside a government building in Aden, demanding that the government improve infrastructure and provide basic social services. | Sahwa Net

SEPTEMBER 5

A U.S. drone strike killed six suspected Islamist militants in eastern Yemen on Wednesday. The strike is the latest sign of a Washington-backed campaign against al Qaeda-linked fighters in the impoverished country. The drone fired eight missiles at a house where fighters were thought to be hiding in the Wadi al-Ain area of Hadramout province. | Reuters

President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi and Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan discussed obstructions to Yemen's political settlement. In a phone call, Brennan affirmed that the United States will support Yemen in implementing the GCC-crafted power transfer deal. They also discussed the results of the donor conference held in Riyadh on Tuesday as well as Hadi’s upcoming visit to Washington in late September. | Yemen Post

Thousands of protesters took to the streets in several Yemeni cities to demand lifting the immunity given to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh under the power-transfer deal that was reached after the 2011 turmoil. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 4

Ten civilians including a ten-year-old girl were killed in a Yemeni government airstrike that had apparently missed its intended target, a car carrying Islamist militants, tribal officials and residents there said on Monday. | Reuters; Yemen Post

A group of international donors pledged $6.4 billion of aid to Yemen, to help the impoverished country rebuild after it was hit by political unrest and an insurgency waged by al-Qaeda, a senior World Bank official said on Tuesday. The figure includes $3.25 billion in aid already pledged earlier by Saudi Arabia, of which a $1 billion loan has been paid to Yemen's central bank. The United States and Britain are among other donors. | Sahwa Net; Reuters

Five suspected militants linked to al-Qaeda were killed by a US drone attack yesterday in central Yemen. The strike took place in the city of Radaa on a vehicle which was believed to be carrying militants, officials said. | Gulf Daily News

AUGUST 30

Military officials say an airstrike has hit a vehicle carrying suspected militants as it traveled down an inner city road in eastern Yemen, killing five. The officials say the attack targeted the vehicle in Hadramawt in eastern Yemen on Wednesday. | AP

Saudi Arabia will give $1 billion to Yemen at a donor conference in Riyadh next week to support Yemen’s currency as the country tries to recover after more than a year of turmoil. | Sahwa Net

A spokesman of the Military Committee formed under the GCC-mediated power deal stated that 97 soldiers are accused of attacking the interior and defense ministries. General Ali Saeed Obaid affirmed that 62 soldiers were referred to the military judiciary while 35 others are still being investigated. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 29

Two men thought to be Islamist militants were killed in an apparent U.S. drone attack on a car in central Yemen on Tuesday, the defense ministry said. A security source and witnesses said the car was hit on a remote road from Hadramout to Maareb province—a mostly desert southeastern region where militants have taken refuge after being driven from their southern strongholds last month. | Reuters; Yemen Post

The governor of Ibb Ahmed Abdullah al-Hajri ordered the closing of private jails, which are run by tribal leaders in several Yemeni governorates. Activists and civil society organizations have repeatedly demanded the shutdown of private jails, which violate human rights and international conventions. | Yemen Post

The UN High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) said on Wednesday that the number of refugees and migrants from the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea toward Yemen continues to exceed previous records. In the first seven months of 2012, more than 63,800 people made this perilous journey, a 30 percent increase from last year. | Kuwait News Agency

AUGUST 28

Secretary General of the Yemeni Socialist Party Dr. Yasin Saeed Noman escaped an assassination attempt in downtown Sana’a late Monday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on his car. | Yemen Post; AFP

A ceasefire has been reached between Houthi militants and the tribes of Hajja after two women were killed by Houthi fighters, Hajja Governor Ali al-Qaisi confirmed. | Yemen Post

On Monday, massive rallies were organized in Taiz in which protesters expressed their support for a recent decision to cancel a contract with Dubai Port World, the world's third-largest port. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 27

Security officials say gunmen in an unmarked vehicle drove past a sit-in in Taiz, Yemen's second-largest city, and opened fire on protesters, killing one. | Daily Star

The head of the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), Sultan al-Atawani, said that the JMP refuses any proposals to extend the presidential term of President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi. Al-Atawani stressed that the remaining period of the interim phase will be sufficient to carry out the articles of the GCC-mediated power transfer deal. | Yemen Post

In its most recent report on the human rights situation in Yemen, HOOD, the national organization for defending rights and freedoms, said it received about 207 complaints of detentions beyond legal limits and recorded 163 extrajudicial arrests, including 93 by the security authorities during the first half of 2012. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 24

More than 17 people were killed and 10 others injured when a group of terrorists from al-Qaeda attacked the intelligence office and the adjacent radio and TV building in the southern coastal city of Aden, local and official sources said. | Yemen Observer

Yemeni security forces have arrested six suspected members of al-Qaeda, including a mosque's imam, in the southern city of Aden, a security official said Friday. | Al Ahram

In the run-up to the National Dialogue Conference separatist groups in the South and al-Qaeda have stepped up their confrontation with President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. This comes in conjunction with continued resistance by supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh to the completion of the process of a peaceful transition of power. | Al Monitor

AUGUST 23

There is a growing fear in certain political circles that Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur al-Hadi will try to extend his presidential term beyond two years, according to Mansour al-Zindani, a member of the Yemeni Parliament. | Al Jazeera

Thousands of protesters gathered in southeast Yemen in the city of Ataq, the capital of the Shabwah province, calling for secession. Protesters raised the South Yemeni flag and called for the restoration of the southern state. | Arabic UPI

AUGUST 22

Yemen's oil revenues rose to $381 million in June compared to $185 million in the previous month, the government announced on Tuesday. The increase in revenues is attributed to the increase in the government's share of the total monthly amount of oil barrels, which hit 3.85 million barrels in June in comparison to 1.7 million barrels in May. | Gulf News

Over 44 percent of Yemen's population will face a lack of food this year, and the UN says that five million Yemenis are considered "extremely food insecure." | Council on Foreign Relations; Huffington Post

AUGUST 21

Suspected Islamist militants fought security guards at a Yemeni intelligence headquarters in the southern port city of Aden on Monday night, two days after fourteen people were killed in an attack on the same building. The assailants fired machine guns from a nearby hill overlooking the building and the state television headquarters next to it, a local official and residents said. | Reuters

Yemen LNG said that an explosion caused by suspected al-Qaeda militants hit a gas pipeline feeding the country's only liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal. Yemen's oil and gas pipelines have been repeatedly sabotaged since anti-government protests created a power vacuum in 2011 that armed groups have exploited, causing fuel shortages and slashing export earnings for the impoverished country. | AFP; Daily Star

AUGUST 20

Yemen medical and security officials say a gunman opened fire Sunday on worshipers celebrating Eid al-Fitr in southern Yemen, killing nine people. The gunman targeted men praying outside a crowded mosque during morning prayers in al-Dhale, a governorate about 190 km south of the capital Sana’a.  | Yemen Post; Gulf News

At least fourteen central security soldiers were killed and seven others were injured in a militant suicide bombing in Yemen’s port city of Aden on Saturday, the defense ministry said. Militants rammed an explosives-laden car into the intelligence headquarters building in an attack that destroyed several floors and triggered a fire in the building, the ministry said. | Yemen Post

Yemeni authorities have seized about 75,000 arms across Yemen during the first half of 2012. In a statement, the Interior Ministry affirmed that all security and military units are implementing a plan to ban carrying weapons inside Yemen’s cities. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 16

Sixty-two officers and soldiers loyal to ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh's son were charged with resisting authorities and mutiny after trying to storm the Ministry of Defense, a senior Yemeni security official said Thursday. | AP

The military committee in Yemen said that refusing the decisions and orders of President Abdrabu Mansour Hadi is considered an act of high treason that must be faced with strict military measures according to the constitution and the service law of the armed and security forces. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 15

A Yemeni security official says gunmen stormed a passenger plane after it landed in the country’s south. The gunmen grabbed an opposition leader from his seat and took him to an unknown destination. | Washington Post

A Houthi militia group arrested five merchants after they refused to pay taxes, local sources affirmed. Residents of the Saada governorate report that the Houthi group has imposed high taxes on them and has threatened all those who refuse to pay taxes with killing, arrest, and torture. | Sahwa Net

AUGUST 14

Yemeni troops from the elite Republican Guard force, led by the son of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, attacked the headquarters of the defense ministry on Tuesday, witnesses said. | Sahwa Net

Pressure is mounting on Yemen’s president Abdrabu Mansur Hadi, amid growing protests calling on him to speed up military reforms and unify the country’s army. | Yemen Online

Yemen’s prime minister called on former opposition groups to abandon the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) deal which put an end to the political turmoil in the country, days after the Yemeni president considered a reshuffle in the government.| Yemen Observer

AUGUST 13

Commander of the republican guard, Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, plans to carry out a coup against Yemen’s transitional President, Abdrabu Mansour Hadi, in response to decisions to restructure the armed forces, according to an official at the presidency. | Yemen Post

Coastal forces intensified security procedures in the Gulf of Aden in reaction to a pledge by Islamist Somalis to send a number of fighters to Yemen in support of al-Qaeda members. The promise of support came following recent strikes directed at al-Qaeda by Yemen’s military. | Yemen Times

The military committee ordered the implementation of measures to deal with detainees in Yemen, including those who were arrested arbitrarily in connection with the 2011 uprising against the former regime. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 10

A senior Yemeni security official has been killed by a car bomb in the south-eastern city of Mukalla, in a suspected al Qaeda attack, a local security official said. | Reuters; Yemen Post

International partners - including the UK, Germany, China, Russia, India, the EU, and the UAE - have pledged aid to Yemen. Saudi Arabia offered USD 3.25 billion, on top of the significant fuel grants it gave Yemen to offset the losses caused by attacks on oil infrastructure, said John Brennan, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. | Business Standard

AUGUST 9

Hundreds of Yemeni soldiers have abandoned their posts in the south in protest at a decision by President Abrabuh Mansur Hadi to restructure the armed forces, according to a military source. | Al-Ahram

The military arrested four al-Qaeda militants on their way to carry out terrorist attacks in the port city of Aden in south Yemen on Thursday. | Yemen Post

President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser defended the administration’s strategy to stem the growth of al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen, saying its use of targeted killing is part of a wider approach that includes humanitarian, development, and military assistance. | Washington Post

AUGUST 8

A US drone strike killed ten al-Qaeda militants yesterday, in separate strikes targeting moving vehicles in Yemen. One of the militants is believed to be top bomb maker Awadh al-Masri. | Saba Net; Washington Post

A member of the Shura Council stated that President Hadi was about to reshuffle Prime Minister Mohammed Salem Basindwa’s coalition government, following negotiations with the General People’s Congress and the Joint Meeting Parties. | Yemen Observer

The United States will provide Yemen with the largest amount of U.S. government assistance to date for both the civilian and security sectors, the State Department announced Tuesday. The Obama administration will provide $337 million in assistance in the 2012 fiscal year, up from $147 million provided in the previous fiscal year. | CNN

AUGUST 7

Yemen's president ordered the restructuring of some military units on Monday, aiming to curb the powers of a son of former leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and stabilize a country where Saleh's legacy still looms large. | Yemen Observer; Reuters

Two drones have targeted al Qaeda positions in central Yemen two days after a suicide bombing in the south of the country blamed on the extremist group killed 45 people, tribal officials said. | Gulf News

The European Union announced on Monday that it is giving extra support of 18 million euro to Yemen, noting the donation aims to help the Yemeni people and government overcome the various challenges facing their country during its transition. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 6

The death toll from a suspected al-Qaida suicide bombing in southern Yemen rose to 45 Sunday, officials said, in the latest attack against militias allied with the army. The bomber struck a funeral late Saturday, attended by civilian militia fighters who aided the government's push to recapture the town of Jaar from al-Qaida in June. | AP; Yemen Post

After an eight month shutdown, the Aden refinery resumed its operations on Sunday. Officials reported that the operations resumed one week after the arrival of the first crude shipment carried via the Marib pipeline. | Yemen Post; Saba Net

AUGUST 2

The Ministry of the Interior has regained stability after sporadic clashes broke out on Tuesday between dozens of police and soldiers leaving 15 dead and 43 wounded. | Yemen Times; Egypt Daily News

AUGUST 1

Militants attacked a police station in Yemen's southern city of Jaar late on Tuesday night, killing two policemen and injuring three others, a security official told Reuters on Wednesday. | Reuters

JULY 31

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi has snubbed a visiting Iranian envoy to signal his "displeasure" with Tehran, a Foreign Ministry official said on Tuesday, only weeks after Yemen said it had uncovered an Iranian-led spy ring in the capital Sanaa. | Reuters

Yemeni security services have arrested a suspected Al-Qaeda leader, Abdulrahman al-Baihani, wanted for plotting "terrorist' attacks in the capital, state news agency Saba said Tuesday. | AFP

JULY 30

Gunmen kidnapped an Italian embassy security officer in Yemen on Sunday and some 100 armed tribesmen loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh stormed the Interior Ministry, demanding to be enlisted in the police force, officials said. | Reuters

Nearly half of Yemen’s people are going hungry, with many facing the danger of starvation. The World Food Program (WFP) estimates that nearly 10 million Yemenis are “food insecure.” | Journal of Turkish Weekly

JULY 26

Yemeni President Hadi has ordered the ministers of defense and interior to send military and security reinforcements to Abyan. | Yemen Post

JULY 25

The Yemeni government is negotiating with donors to get support to establish a special court to handle corruption issues. | Yemen Post

An Al-Qaeda militant and his two sons were killed after explosives they were making inside their home exploded in Yemen’s Mukalla city. | Yemen Post

Al-Qaeda-linked militants attacked a village in south Yemen, fighting to regain control of lost territory. | Reuters

JULY 24

Yemeni warplanes killed at least five Al-Qaeda-linked militants in overnight strikes against hideouts in Abyan. | Washington Post

The Saudi Embassy in Yemen has reopened after months of shutdown in protest at the detention of a Saudi diplomat in March. | Yemen Post

JULY 23

Yemeni security authorities have defused a bomb planted at the entrance of intelligence services building in the southern port city of Aden. | Reuters

President Hadi’s media secretary has escaped an assassination attempt in Sana’a. | Yemen Post

About 117 Yemeni young people held in connection with the revolution remain detained inside state security prisons. | Yemen Post

JULY 17

Security sources have arrested a Yemeni soldier who was intending to detonate himself in a military parade inside a Central Security camp. | Yemen Post

Hood, a Yemeni rights group, has noted that peaceful protesters in Yemen are tortured inside covert jails within Central Security. | Al-Sahwa

JULY 16

A suitcase bomb has exploded in Sana’a, killing one civilian; no one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. | Yemen Times

JULY 15

Yemen’s Salafis have officially established a political party called Al-Rashad; although the announcement was made in March, internal disagreements led to the delay of its official declaration. | Yemen Post

JULY 13

Southern separatists and northern Shiite rebels in Yemen have been invited to participate in a national dialogue set for November. | AFP

JULY 12

Security forces have been deployed to Sana’a after a suicide bombingwhich killed 10 cadets and injured 20 others. | Yemen Post

About 70 percent of the Yemeni people do not have access to healthcare services according to official statistics. | Yemen Post

JULY 11

A leader of the Southern Movement, Sharaf Mahfooz, has been killed in clashes between the Yemeni army and armed men in Aden. | Yemen Post

A suicide bomber has targeted students in the Police College of Sana’a, leaving at least two soldiers dead and 15 wounded. | Yemen Post

JULY 10

Authorities are poised to launch an immediate independent investigation after Central Security Forces and snipers opened fire on a peaceful demonstration and march in Aden. | Bikya Masr

Yemeni authorities have released 25 activists hours after they were arrested in the south following deadly clashes between police and separatists. | Yemen Online

JULY 9

Yemen has demanded that the United States end the flying of drones over towns retaken from Al-Qaeda. | Yemen Post

Yemeni soldiers have freed a senior officer whom they kidnapped last month in a case that raised concerns about unity within the country’s armed forces. | Reuters

JULY 5

The Yemeni Ministry of Interior has reported that 259 refugees have arrived in Taiz from the Horn of Africa. | Yemen Times

Yemeni airstrikes have killed three Al-Qaeda fighters and wounded seven in the country’s south in an offensive against militants. | Washington Post

The Yemeni Defense Ministry has arrested 14 Al-Qaeda suspects including 9 foreigners planning to carry out terrorist attacks in the country. | Yemen Post

JULY 3

Yemen’s troops have opened fire on dozens of jobless protesterswho demonstrated near an oilfield operated by French Total in Hadramout, wounding ten. | Gulf News

JULY 2

The Yemeni authorities have arrested three Al-Qaeda suicide bombersin Sana’a after foiling three bombings. | Yemen Post

Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen have posted an online video of a kidnapped Saudi Arabian diplomat appealing to the Kingdom’s rulers to grant his captor’s demands and save his life. | Washington Post

JUNE 29

Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni students have taken to the streets across the country to express their frustration over recent power cuts. | Al-Arabiya

Yemen is losing up to $15 million a day in export revenue because violence has halted shipments from the oil-producing Marib province. | Reuters

JUNE 28

Yemeni authorities have arrested the terrorist cell behind the suicide bombing which killed and injured more than 400 soldiers during a parade rehearsal in Sana’a. | Yemen Post

JUNE 27

At least five Al-Qaeda terrorists have escaped from a prison in Yemen. | Indo-Asian News Service

JUNE 26

Omani and Yemeni security forces are hunting for several Al-Qaeda members who crossed into Oman while fleeing a U.S.-backed military offensive in southern Yemen. | Reuters

The death toll resulting from explosions of landmines planted in Abyan by Al-Qaeda-linked militants has risen to 73. | Yemen Post

JUNE 25

Yemeni military officials have said that a gun battle between troops and a group of men attempting to sabotage a power line in Marib has left two soldiers and three saboteurs dead. | Washington Post

The Yemeni opposition abroad has set conditions to participate in a comprehensive dialogue that is coming up in a few months. | Yemen Post

Yemeni troops have taken control of Al-Qaeda bastion Azzan. | AFP

JUNE 22

Security authorities have arrested an Al-Qaeda leader involved in assassinating a senior military commander in southern Yemen this week. | Yemen Post

UNICEF’s representative in Yemen has said that the international community needs to focus on malnutrition in the country as well as security problems. | Guardian

JUNE 21

The Pentagon is making plans to send U.S. military aircraft to Yemen for the first time to help move government troops and supplies more quickly into battle against militants. | Los Angeles Times

Yemeni security forces have carried out airstrikes in which 30 suspected Al-Qaeda militants were reported killed in the southern part of the country. | AFP

JUNE 20

Yemen’s security forces have foiled a military plot to attack embassies in Sana’a. | AFP

Renewed fighting in southern Yemen has left six Al-Qaeda fighters and three soldiers dead as the government consolidated its recapture of military strongholds. | Washington Post

JUNE 19

Yemen’s finance minister has said that Yemen aims to achieve economic growth of up to 2 percent this year and meet its budget deficit through foreign aid and borrowing. | Reuters

JUNE 18

A suicide bomber has assassinated Major General Salem Ali Al-Quton, Yemen’s army commander who was leading the fight against Al-Qaeda in the south. | AP

Al-Qaeda linked militants have pulled out peacefully from Azan, an Al-Qaeda stronghold in Shabwa, after a tribal committee persuaded them to withdraw. | Yemen Post

The Ministry of Interior has launched an anti-arms campaign to publicly end the carrying of weapons in Sana’a. | Yemen Times

JUNE 15

Yemen's army recaptured the last al Qaeda stronghold in Abyan province on Friday, officials and residents said, and victory appeared close for their offensive to drive Islamist militants from towns they seized more than a year ago. | Reuters

Several people were wounded on Friday when Yemeni forces clashed with southern separatists in Aden after troops removed a year-old protest camp, a local official said. | AFP

JUNE 14

Militants fled from Yemeni government forces advancing on the southern coastal town of Shaqra in a U.S.-backed offensive to recapture territory from the Al Qaeda-linked insurgents. At least 16 people, including women and children, were killed in the clashes. | Reuters; AFP

Yemen is seeking up to 240,000 tons of high-sulphur gasoil for delivery in July and August, as its main refinery remains shut and there is no sign that Saudi Arabia will extend fuel donations into July. | Reuters

JUNE 13

An airstrike killed nine al-Qaida fighters Wednesday in southern Yemen as the military maintained pressure on the terror group a day after government troops backed by armed tribesmen recaptured two militant strongholds, officials said. | Fox News

The Peaceful Revolution Rescue Front – part of Yemen independent youth movement – recently accused al-Islah of further meddling within the revolutionary process by preventing protesters from exercising their right to demonstrate or settle camp in “Change Square”. | Yemen Observer

JUNE 12

Yemeni troops and armed tribesmen drove al-Qaida militants from two southern strongholds on Tuesday, a major victory in a U.S.-backed offensive to seize territory held for more than a year by the terror network as it exploited political turmoil to gain a foothold in the strategic area. | AP

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution threatening non-military sanctions against those trying to undermine Yemen's transition to democracy. | Associated Press

JUNE 11

Yemeni warplanes and troops bombarded the Islamist militant stronghold of Jaar on Monday, officials and witnesses said, part of a U.S.-backed offensive in a country Washington sees as a front line in its war against al Qaeda. | Reuters

Al Qaeda's Yemeni affiliate has posted several messages on jihadist forums in a recruitment campaign directed at supporters already living in the West. | CNN

JUNE 8

Violent clashes have broken out between Al-Qaeda militants and tribesmen from the Popular Resistance Committees in Abyan. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s army has engaged in heavy gun battles with Islamist militants linked to Al-Qaeda on the edge of Jaar, leading to the death of at least 20 Islamist fighters and 5 tribesmen. | Reuters

JUNE 7

Confrontations between the Yemeni army and Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan continue. | Yemen Times

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Sana’a, boosting the confidence and determination of the protestors to remain in the Square until their goals are met. | Yemen Post

JUNE 6

A Yemeni security officials have said that two civilians were killed and another injured when their car, rigged by Al-Qaeda militants, exploded in Aden. | AP

Five bulldozers deployed by Yemeni authorities have begun dismantling the main protest camp against former President Saleh. | Ahram Online

JUNE 5

A proposed UN Security Council resolution is supporting efforts by Yemen’s president to advance the country’s transition to democracy and is threatening non-military sanctions against those trying to undermine the country’s national unity government. | AP

The Yemeni army has foiled an Al-Qaeda attempt to take control of Attaq, the capital of Shabwa. | Yemen Post

JUNE 4

A military official has confirmed that at least six linked to Al-Qaeda were killed and others wounded when the army repelled an attack in Zinjibar. | Yemen Times

Kataf in north Yemen has witnessed military confrontations between the Houthis and Salafis over the past four days. | Yemen Times

JUNE 1

A Yemeni Islamist group, known as Ansar Al-Sharia, has released 27 soldiers who had been taken prisoner after they vowed to quit the government army. | Reuters

Yemen’s Zaidi Shiite rebels have agreed to join the National Dialogue. | Daily Star

MAY 31

Yemeni Nobel laureate Tawakul Karman has accused the United States of killing civilians in southern Yemen while attempting to eliminate Al-Qaeda operatives. | al Arabiya

Yemeni warplanes and artillery strikes killed 20 in heavy shelling and clashes in the country’s south. | AP

MAY 30

At least 10 have been killed by air and artillery strikes in southern Yemen. | BBC News

The UN Special Envoy to Yemen has submitted a report on the transition, saying that it is proceeding on the right track despite security concerns and obstruction attempts. | Yemen Post

MAY 29

Six Al-Qaeda suspects have been killed in a raid in Al-Mukla of the southeastern governorate of Hadramout in Yemen. | Yemen Post

Fourteen people were killed and three injured following a car bomb in Al-Jawf; the driver was targeting a group of Houthis gathering in a school. | Yemen Times

The Yemeni army battled Al-Qaeda-linked militants inside Zinjibar, recapturing key positions and killing at least 62 fighters. | Reuters

MAY 25

At least 36 Al-Qaeda militants were killed in battles between militants and Yemeni soldiers in Abyan. | Yemen Post

MAY 24

Secretary of State Clinton announced that experts at the State Department have swapped pro-Al-Qaeda ads on Yemeni websites with ads detailing the negative impact Al-Qaeda has had on Yemenis themselves. | AP

Since the Yemeni revolution, many citizens have allegedly been kidnapped and tortured by Yemeni intelligence for expressing their opinion or supporting the revolution. | Yemen Times

The casualties from Monday’s suicide bombing in Sana’a, Yemen, have now become 100 killed and 311 injured. | Yemen Times

MAY 23

Yemen’s army has recaptured parts of the strategic city of Zinjibar from Al-Qaeda-linked militants. | Euro News

Saudi Arabia and Western and Gulf states have pledged more than $4 billion in aid to Yemen at a Riyadh conference. | Reuters

MAY 22

Yemeni soldiers are marching in a National Day parade in a show of defiance just one day after a bomber killed more than 90 soldiers in an attack on the ceremony’s rehearsal. | Chicago Tribune

Suspected American drones have hit a convoy of two cars carrying militants near Shibam of Wadi Hadramout, killing three. | Yemen Times

MAY 18

Approximately 160,000 people have been displaced from Abyan due to conflicts between the Yemeni army and Ansar Al-Sharia. | Yemen Post

The UN Security Council has delayed its meeting on Yemen until the end of May to allow Yemeni parties an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to a power-transfer deal. | Yemen Post

MAY 17

Government troops battling Al-Qaeda in Zinjibar are making inroads into militant strongholds. | AP

Leaders from the Houthi Movement and the Islamist Islah Party are holding talks in Cairo. | Yemen Post

MAY 16

Government troops and warplanes pounded Al-Qaeda positions on Wednesday in southern Yemen, killing at least 29 militants. | AP

President Obama has issued an executive order giving the Treasury Department the authority to freeze the US-based assets of anyone who “obstructs” implementation of the transition in Yemen. | Washington Post

MAY 15

At least 42 people, including 30 Islamist militants, were killed in Yemen on Monday night and Tuesday as the government pressed ahead with a new offensive in the South. | Reuters

Security authorities have been placed on high alert in Sana’a after the Interior Ministry got word that an Al-Qaeda bomber had entered the city to carry out attacks. | Yemen Post

MAY 14

The World Bank is working to appoint a group of international advisers to help the Yemeni government create job opportunities to support comprehensive development. | Yemen Times

At least 10 Al-Qaeda militants were killed as the Yemeni army continued to advance in Zinjibar. | Yemen Post

MAY 11

The Saada-based Al-Houthi group has demanded an end to US interventionas one condition, among others, to engage with Yemen’s National Dialogue. | Yemen Post

MAY 10

An airstrike has killed five Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen’s south. | Washington Post

MAY 9

Yemen’s President Hadi has rejected a mediation of Salafi clerics to end fighting with Al-Qaeda conditioning that the group must surrender its heavy arms first. | Yemen Post

MAY 8

A Yemeni official said they had no knowledge of what the US said was a plot by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to put a bomb on an airliner headed for America. | Reuters

MAY 7

Islamist gunmen attacked Yemeni troops outside of Zinjibar, killing at least 32 servicemen. | Reuters

Yemeni Al-Qaeda Leader Fahd Al-Quso, who was wanted in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole, was killed in an air raid in eastern Yemen. | Ahram Online

MAY 4

Saleh has asked the UAE and the international community to give him $50 million in return for his acceptance to stay in the Gulf state. | Yemen Post

Pro-government gunmen fighting Al-Qaeda alongside the Yemeni army have killed 12 suspected militants in Abyan. | Daily Star

MAY 3

The Houthis have stated that they will not partake in the upcoming national dialogue. | Yemen Times

Saleh’s nephew Tariq Saleh has resigned from his post as commander of an elite military unit of the Presidential Guard in Yemen. | Reuters

MAY 2

An airstrike has killed 15 Al-Qaeda-linked militants in an Abyan training camp. | Washington Post

Two Yemenis have died following an attack by suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen on a vehicle carrying employees of France’s Total in an eastern province. | Reuters

MAY 1

Saudi Arabia will continue to help Yemen by supplying it with refined oil products in May and June. | al Arabiya

APRIL 27

Civilians who have taken up arms in southern Yemen have succeeded in thwarting Al Qaida plans to occupy more cities in the south. | Gulf News

APRIL 26

The United States has begun launching drone strikes against Al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen under new authority that allows the CIA and the military to fire even when the identity of those who could be killed is not known. | Washington Post

Ansar al-Sharia has announced that it intends to execute more than 70 captured soldiers in an effort to dissuade the military campaign against them in Zinjibar. | Yemen Times

APRIL 25

The General People’s Congress is discussing proposals to elect its second deputy head Abdul Karim Al-Eryani as the new head of the party. | Yemen Post

A senior Al-Qaeda leader has been killed in an intelligence operation in an area located between Marib and al-Jawaf. | Yemen Post

APRIL 24

Members of Parliament are insisting that the government agree to conduct dialogue with Ansar al-Sharia. | Yemen Post

General Mohammed Saleh, Yemen’s former Air Force commander, has finally stepped down after threats that he would be sanctioned. | Yemen Post

APRIL 23

Ten people were killed and two others wounded in bloody confrontations between Houthi armed men and four students of Dar Al-Hadeeth in Dammaj. | Yemen Times

The Saudi diplomat who was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda militants in Aden is safe and is likely to be released soon. | AFP

Warplanes continued pounding Al-Qaeda whereabouts in Abyan, killing at least 18 militants and wounding a dozen others. | Yemen Post

APRIL 20

Clashes between Al-Qaeda and the army on the outskirts of Zinjibar have left 20 people dead, most of them jihadists. | AFP

The CIA is asking Washington to expand its drone strike capacity in Yemen; this increased capability may serve as a blow to Al-Qaeda, but also as a catalyst for distrust of the United States. | RT

APRIL 19

At least seven militants were killed near the southern Yemeni city of Lawdar in clashes between government forces and Ansar al-Sharia. | Reuters

General Mohammed Al-Ahmar, dismissed commander of the Yemeni air force, refuses to leave his office despite a decree for his removal. | Yemen Times

APRIL 18

Yemeni warplanes killed at least six militants linked to Al-Qaeda as the offensive against insurgents continues in the South. | Reuters

APRIL 17

Five U.S. drone strikes have killed six suspected Al-Qaeda militants in the southeastern Yemeni province of Shabwa. | CNN

Mishaal al-Shodoukhi, a suspected militant wanted by Saudi authorities, has phoned the Saudi Embassy in Yemen claiming responsibility for the kidnap of the Saudi diplomat last month and demanding the release of prisoners in Saudi jails. | Reuters

APRIL 16

Yemen’s Counterterrorism Unit has arrived in Abyan to engage in the fighting against Ansar Al-Sharia. | Yemen Times

Three suspected Al-Qaeda militants were killed in a U.S. drone strike in the eastern province of Al-Baitha. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s Parliament has failed to approve the country’s 2012 budget due to disagreements among the government and various opposition parties. | Yemen Post

APRIL 13

At least six people were killed in the southern Yemeni city of Lawdar in clashes between government forces and Al-Qaeda linked militants. | Reuters

Cabinet discussions are under way to hold a comprehensive national dialogue that incorporates all Yemeni political groups. | Yemen Post

APRIL 12

A recent World Bank report finds that Yemen’s oil reserves will only last another twelve years. | Yemen Times

At least eight fighters linked to Al-Qaeda were killed in Yemen on Thursday as a government offensive enters in fourth day. | Reuters

APRIL 11

Yemeni government troops battled Al-Qaeda militants in heavy fighting that left 31 dead, raising the three-day death toll to 158. | Washington Post

Armed militants struck an oil pipeline in southern Yemen using rocket propelled grenades. | UPI

APRIL 10

Yemeni army officials have stated that heavy overnight clashes between the military and Al-Qaeda in the south have killed 63 people, bringing the two day death toll to 127. | USA Today

Former President Saleh has asked that the UAE provide him with a written acceptance to host him for two years along with tens of his family members. | Yemen Post

APRIL 9

Al-Qaeda-linked militants staged an attack in Abyan leading to the death of 18 militants and five soldiers. | Wall Street Journal

Seventy-three soldiers from Yemen’s army are still being held by Ansar Al-Sharia; the group has demanded that the Yemeni army release 600 Al-Qaeda prisoners. | Yemen Times

APRIL 6

Yemen’s Interior Ministry has ordered police and security forces to go on high alert out of fear of an impending terrorist attack on Sana’a. | UPI

Two suspected Al-Qaeda suicide bombers died in Yemen when their payload exploded short of their intended target. | AFP

APRIL 4

Yemen’s Defense Minister has threatened to resign if the Military Commission fails to remove all armed manifestations from Sana’a. | Yemen Post

Yemeni Air Force officers and soldiers have threatened to resume their sit-in if their commander Mohammad Saleh Al-Ahmar is not dismissed. | Yemen Post

APRIL 3

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers approved a new law for combating money laundering, which will also be applied to fight funding terrorism and terror organizations. | Arab News

The Saudi diplomat who was kidnapped by unidentified gunmen in Aden will be released soon according to officials. | Yemen Post

APRIL 2

Al-Qaeda militants have attacked the military position of Brigade 119 between Abyan and Lahj in an attempt to seize the area. | Yemen Times

One Yemeni civilian was killed and six injured in a U.S. drone strike in Shabwa. | Yemen Times

MARCH 30

Eight people, including five suspected Al-Qaeda members, were killed in a shooting and airstrike in Shabwa. | AFP

The United States has dramatically stepped up its’ involvement in Yemen, ordering dozens of drone attacks on suspected Al-Qaeda hotspots. | Yemen Online

MARCH 29

The Saudi Arabian Foreign Ministry has not received any information on the whereabouts of abducted Deputy Consul Abdullah Al-Khalidi. | Arab News

A bid to release a Swiss woman kidnapped in Yemen has suffered a blow after abductors made excessive demands, among them the release of Osama bin Laden’s widows. | AFP

MARCH 28

A Saudi Arabian diplomat has been kidnapped on his way to work in Aden; it is not clear whether the abduction had political motives. | USA Today

An influential tribal chief has stated that the General People’s Congress Party will nominate former President Saleh’s son Ahmed to represent it in the 2014 presidential elections. | Yemen Post

MARCH 27

Saudi Arabia will give Yemen refined oil products to cover its need for two months. | Reuters

Yemeni army forces arrested six Somali nationals believed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | Yemen Post

MARCH 26

Suspected Al-Qaeda gunmen have killed an army officer and wounded two in an ambush in southern Yemen. | AFP

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets demanding that former President Saleh be stripped of his immunity and put to trial. | AP

Armed militants from Ansar Al-Sharia have taken control of Al-Rudum District in Shabwa. | Yemen Times

MARCH 22

Opponents of former President Saleh have accused members of his party of trying to hamper political transition in the country. | AFP

Navy ships have shelled suspected Al-Qaeda positions in Abyan, killing 29 militants. | AP

MARCH 21

Former President Saleh remains the head of the ruling General People’s Congress Party and has threatened to withdraw all members of his party from the national government. | CNN

The Yemen Interior Ministry has arrested six Somali nationals suspected of having ties with Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. | Yemen Post

MARCH 20

Yemen’s new president is considering the dismissal of the country’s national unity government. | AP

The Yemeni army has shelled the suspected hideouts of Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan, killing five. | AFP

Sylvia Abrahat, the Swiss woman who was kidnapped from Hodeida, has been found in Shabwa. | Yemen Times

MARCH 19

Gunmen have fatally shot an American teacher in the Yemeni province of Taiz. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has claimed responsibility for the attack. | CNN

MARCH 16

Yemeni and Swiss officials have stated that a Swiss woman has been kidnapped in a western Yemeni port city. | Washington Post

France has stated that it will help Yemen draft a new constitution without intervening in the details. | Yemen Post

MARCH 15

Ousted President Saleh has stated that ten of his rivals among the country’s top military commanders, politicians, and tribal leaders must leave the country with him for the sake of stability. | Washington Post

MARCH 14

Representatives of Yemen’s Salafi community have agreed to form a political union known as Al-Rashad. | Al-Arabiya

Ten people were killed as battles continue to intensify between Al-Qaeda and Yemeni forces. | AFP

MARCH 13

At least four Yemeni soldiers were killed when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with explosives near a checkpoint in the country’s south. | Reuters

MARCH 12

U.S. aircrafts have carried out four airstrikes in a Yemeni southern province where Al-Qaeda controls a number of the towns; at least 18 militants have been killed. | Washington Post

MARCH 9

The UNHCR has stated that Yemeni civilians are fleeing their homes because of tribal clashes in the North and battles between the military and Al-Qaeda in the South. | AP

Al-Qaeda has announced the death of Mohamed Ahmed Al-Haniq, a commander in the volatile Yemeni district of Arhab. | CNN

Unknown assailants have shot a Yemeni policeman and wounded four others in Ataq. | Gulf News

MARCH 8

A Yemeni army officer and six of his bodyguards were killed in a shootout with Shiite Muslim rebels north of Sana’a. | Reuters

The Yemeni army has killed seven suspected Al-Qaeda militants in an artillery strike on Zinjibar. | Daily Star

MARCH 7

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a string of recent attacks in Yemen including an assault on soldiers that left scores dead in Abyan and the bombing of a military plane in Sana’a. | AFP

U.S. and Yemeni officials have agreed to restart a military training program to help tackle Al-Qaeda militants. | Wall Street Journal

MARCH 6

The death toll from an Al-Qaeda assault on a military base in southern Yemen has risen to 185 government soldiers. | AP

Attorney General Eric Holder has found that the President has legal authority to target and kill American citizens working with Al-Qaeda overseas, as was done with Yemeni cleric Awlaki last year. | Los Angeles Times

MARCH 5

In a surprise attack against military bases in South Yemen, Al-Qaeda killed 107 soldiers and captured heavy weaponry. | Newsday

Massive crowds have gathered to protest that officers loyal to ousted President Saleh be purged from the country’s armed forces. | Washington Post

MARCH 2

A bomb blast hit an anti-U.S. protest in northern Yemen, wounding at least 22 people. | Reuters

A number of exiled southern leaders have been accused of distributing weapons to the Southern Movement in Aden. | Yemen Post

MARCH 1

Hundreds of Yemeni soldiers have staged protests at several military institutions across the country demanding the departure of their chiefs. | Al-Arabiya

Al-Qaeda has kidnapped a Yemeni general in Abyan after the military launched strikes against strongholds of the organization. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 29

The official party spokesman has stated that former President Saleh is not leaving Yemen any time soon. | CNN

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a presidential palace in southeast Yemen which claimed the lives of 26 Republican Guards. | AFP

Officials in Somalia have announced that hundreds of Al-Shabab fighters have headed to Yemen to join Al-Qaeda there. | Bikya Masr

FEBRUARY 28

The Yemeni army has given Al-Qaeda militants seven days to quit captured towns in the country’s southern regions after ten months of fighting between the two sides. | Trend

Violent clashes have flared between Houthi fighters and Sunni tribesmen in the northern province of Hajjah, leaving dozens dead from both sides. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 27

In light of the completed elections, former President Saleh will be leaving Yemen for Ethiopia this week. | CNN

The Obama administration is working on a plan to help the new Yemeni government overhaul its military to combat Al-Qaeda in the region. | New York Times

Government shelling has killed five Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Zinjibar. | Newsday

FEBRUARY 23

Yemen’s oil production is about half its 250,000 barrel-a-day capacity, making the country now dependent on foreign oil; Yemen needs $600 million a month in oil products for domestic use. | Bloomberg

Incoming Yemeni President Hadi will be sworn in next week before the Parliament. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 22

Despite calls for a boycott, presidential elections in Yemen are witnessing a high voter turnout rate. | Daily News Egypt

Southern rebels have closed down half of the ballot centers in Aden after they carried out a number of attacks. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 21

Yemen’s vote for the presidency has begun today; although Vice President Hadi is the only consensus candidate, a high turnout is necessary to solidify his legitimacy. | Reuters

Three youth from the Southern movement were injured when security forces hit them with batons near voting centers in Yemen. | Yemen Post

Yemeni government forces have detained 10 Al-Qaeda linked fighters after an attack in Baydah. | Reuters

FEBRUARY 17

Yemeni government forces detained 10 al-Qaeda-linked fighters on Friday, a security source said, after an attack in a town which underscored the security challenges of next week's presidential elections. | IOL News

Islamist militants shot dead five people on Wednesday including a Yemeni military officer and the regional head of the country's election committee in the province of al-Baydah, a local official said. | Chicago Tribune

A Yemeni journalist who was close to slain U.S.-born radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaqi and was jailed for five years last year for promoting Al-Qaeda is on hunger strike, Reporters Without Borders said on Wednesday. | AFP

FEBRUARY 16

Senior Al-Qaeda leader Tariq Al-Dahab was killed in a family feud in Yemen and an ensuing battle between his followers and opponents left 16 other militants dead. | Washington Post

A suicide attack has targeted a military checkpoint in central Yemen, leaving at least 1 dead and 7 injured. | Yemen Post

Suspected separatists continue to attack polling places in Yemen in order to intimidate voting in the upcoming election. | UPI

FEBRUARY 15

A military judge in the war crimes trial of a Guantanamo prisoner has denied a defense request to question Yemeni President Saleh as a witness in the case. | Washington Post

Yemen is seeking 270,000 tons of diesel as its fuel donations from Saudi Arabia are expected to end this month and its main refinery remains shut. | Al-Arabiya

FEBRUARY 14

Yemeni Houthi rebels have announced their intent to boycott elections set for February 21. | Bloomberg

A Yemeni security official has stated that government troops have killed 12 Al-Qaeda-linked militants in heavy artillery shelling in the South while two soldiers died in clashes with militants in the same area. | Washington Post

FEBRUARY 13

Ansar Al-Sharia, an Al-Qaeda affiliate, has delivered capital punishment to three of its followers who had been suspected of being spies for the Yemeni government. | Yemen Post

Increasing violent clashes between the Houthi rebels and Sunni tribal armed men in Hajjah have left at least 30 dead. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 10

The United Nations has stated that 11 people have drowned and another 34 are missing after a boat crewed by human traffickers overturned this week in the Gulf of Aden. | Washington Post

The Houthis have kidnapped three Saudi Arabians as they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 9

Yemeni Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi kicked off his presidential campaign Tuesday, announcing he will run in the February 21 election. | CNN

Two people were killed Thursday as hundreds of demonstrators marched in Yemen's southern province of Dhale protesting the upcoming presidential election, eyewitnesses told CNN. | CNN

At least 8 prisoners have been killed in clashes between inmates and prison guards on Wednesday in the central province of Dhamar, some 100km south the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, leaving at least 8 prisoners killed. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 8

Fierce clashes continued between Al-Qaeda and army troopers in Abyan, leading to the killing of at least four. | Yemen Post

Saleh will return to Yemen to vote in the presidential elections on February 21. | Yemen Post

Vice President Hadi has announced that he will run for president in the February 21 elections. | CNN

FEBRUARY 7

Yemeni Vice President Hadi has told his people that his priority as the country’s next head of state will be to foster national reconciliation among separatists in the South and insurgents in the North and to usher in more democratic political reforms. | Wall Street Journal

Yemeni Salafists have announced their intent to form a political party to take part in the political process and empower women. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 6

Yemen has begun a publicity campaign to get citizens to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. | Reuters

Yemen’s military leadership has announced its willingness to open channels of dialogue with Al-Qaeda in hopes to reach a ceasefire agreement. | CNN

FEBRUARY 3

The face of Saleh has returned to the masthead of the leading state-owned daily newspaper after gunmen besieged the office and demanded its reinstatement. | Al-Arabiya

The Yemeni defense minister has met with the Indian, Cuban, German, and Dutch ambassadors hoping to enhance military cooperation between the nations. | Yemen Post

FEBRUARY 2

Six kidnapped foreign aid workers have been released in Yemen after mediation efforts led by Energy Minister Saleh Samee. | News 24

The ACLU has asked a federal court to force the Obama administration to release legal and intelligence records related to the killing of three U.S. citizens in drone attacks in Yemen last year. | Washington Post

FEBRUARY 1

Three Yemeni soldiers were killed in an ambush carried out by unidentified gunmen in the Marib. | Yemen Post

At least thirteen Al-Qaeda militants have been killed by an American drone that targeted their hideouts in Abyan. | Yemen Post

Four international aid workers kidnapped by gunmen north of Sana’a will be released “within hours.” | Daily Star

JANUARY 31

U.S. airstrikes targeting Al-Qaeda leaders have killed four suspected militants. | USA Today

Yemeni tribesmen have kidnapped six aid workers from a tourist area west of Sanaa. | Daily Star

The IMF Mission has revealed that it will provide urgent economic support to Yemen. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 30

Thousands of pilots, mechanics, and intelligence officers from Yemen’s air force have taken to the streets to demand the ousting of their commander, President Saleh’s half-brother. | Wall Street Journal

Gunmen attacked an office of Yemen’s electoral committee in a sign of opposition against the upcoming presidential elections. | Reuters

A Yemeni military official has said that units loyal to Saleh have crushed a mutiny by Republican Guard troops in the capital. | AP

JANUARY 27

A Norwegian UN worker has been released after being kidnapped by armed tribesmen two weeks ago. | Washington Post

Yemen’s economy needs about $15 billion to recover and become stable. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 25

The secessionist movement in Yemen, once mostly underground, has emerged emboldened by the uprisings that have overtaken the country for the past year. | Washington Post

Fresh clashes in Zinjibar, Yemen have killed six Al-Qaeda militants and injured ten soldiers. | Washington Post

Suspected Al-Qaeda militants have evacuated the southeastern town of Radda after having seized it for two weeks. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 24

President Saleh is seeking exile in neighboring Oman, but the sultanate is reluctant to host him. | Reuters

Five suspected Al-Qaeda fighters were killed in clashes with Yemeni troops in Aden. | AFP

JANUARY 23

Yemen’s military has sent extra forces to Radda, a town that was seized by Islamists last week, after negotiations broke down. | Reuters

The World Bank has lifted a funding freeze on Yemen and said that it would reengage with the government. | Reuters

Yemen’s departing President Saleh has left the country for medical treatment in New York. | New York Times

JANUARY 20

Officials have stated that the Obama administration is engaged in an intensive effort to find President Saleh a new home, preferably not in the United States. | Washington Post

Three Yemeni soldiers were killed when assailants opened fire on their checkpoint in Aden. | Washington Post

JANUARY 19

A Yemeni draft law granting immunity to the outgoing president Saleh has been amended to limit the protection that his aides would enjoy. | Reuters

Yemen’s foreign minister has stated that presidential elections will be held as scheduled toward the end of February. | Newsday

JANUARY 18

Prime Minister Basindawa has called upon outgoing President Saleh to swiftly leave and give the newly-formed government an opportunity to perform its duties without interference. | Yemen Post

Yemeni Islamist fighters who seized a small town southeast of Sana’a will allegedly withdraw if several of their comrades are released from jail. | Reuters

The Yemeni government is allegedly considering shifting the political capital from Sana’a to Aden. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 17

Yemen’s foreign minister has suggested that next month’s presidential elections could be delayed due to turmoil. | AP

Armed tribesmen have snatched a Norwegian UN official from the streets of Sana’a. | CNN

Firefights between police and southern separatists in Yemen have led to the death of five and the wounding of 23. | AFP

JANUARY 13

Two Yemeni protesters were killed and a dozen injured when security forces fired bullets and tear gas at marchers in Aden. | AP

Clashes between pro-Sunni tribes and Houthi fighters escalated Thursday and Friday, leading to the death of 18 and the injury of at least 39. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 12

Twenty gunmen were killed Thursday in clashes between Zaidi Shi’ite rebels and Sunni Salafist gunmen in Northern Yemen. | AFP

A Yemeni committee tasked with demilitarizing the capital has given 48 hours to armed opponents and Saleh backers to withdraw after months of street fighting. | Reuters

JANUARY 11

A militant attack on a government vehicle in Yemen’s business capital, Aden, killed a police security officer and injured seven others. | CNN

JANUARY 10

An explosion at an oil well in central Yemen operated by a subsidiary of the U.S.-based Hunt Oil Company has stopped output from the field. | Daily Star

The U.S. State Department has defended the Yemeni draft law that would grant President Saleh and his aides immunity from prosecution. | Chicago Tribune

JANUARY 9

Yemen’s cabinet has approved the draft of a law that gives Saleh and his aides immunity from prosecution; a UN human rights chief has contended that the law would violate “Yemen’s international human rights obligations.” | CNN; BBC

Yemeni troops have clashed with Al-Qaeda-linked militants in a new attempt to regain control of Abyan province, leaving seven people dead. | AFP

JANUARY 6

Tens of thousands of Yemeni protesters have taken to the streets to demand the release of activists detained in almost a year of protest against President Saleh. | AFP

Suspicions are mounting in Yemen on whether outgoing President Saleh is serious about leaving power. | USA Today

Yemeni troops backed by warplanes clashed with suspected Al-Qaeda militants in fighting in the south that killed 10 people. | AFP

JANUARY 5

Yemen’s Shiite rebels have formed a political party in a bid to establish themselves in the government. | The National

Clashes between police forces and militants belonging to the Hashid tribe leader Al-Ahmar have restarted in north Sana’a. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 4

A Yemeni official has stated that President Saleh will not travel to the United States. | Reuters

Islamic militants stormed a hotel in which alcohol is served in Yemen, setting the building on fire, killing two people, and wounding 20. | AP

Five suspected terror militants and two Yemeni troops have been killed in clashes in Abyan. | Yemen Post

JANUARY 3

Five Islamist fighters and two Yemeni soldiers have been killed in fighting between government forces and Islamists in Zinjibar. | Reuters

The Yemeni scientist Khaled Nashwan has decided to run in the country’s next presidential elections. | Yemen Online

The Revolution Salvation Front has been established by various activists and revolutionaries with different political affiliations to protect the goals of the revolution in Yemen. | Yemen Times

DECEMBER 20

Fresh fighting between suspected Al-Qaeda militants and army troops in Abyan has led to the death of two soldiers and 13 Islamists. | AFP

The Yemen Post has published a list of ministers nominated by the General People Congress and the Joint Meeting Parties. | Yemen Post

 

The Supreme Committee for Elections and Referendum has approved the procedures of registration and voting process in Yemen. | Yemen Post

DECEMBER 19

UN Agencies have warned that Yemen is on its way to becoming another Somalia, saying that nearly four million people will be affected by its political and economic crisis in 2012. | AFP

The Yemeni military has started leaving the streets of Sana’a, as ordered by the GCC-brokered deal. | Bloomberg

DECEMBER 16

Two youth activists have been killed in Taiz by central security forces after participating in a massive march in opposition to the ruling family. | CNN

DECEMBER 15

Six world powers and the UN have proposed a plan to reunite Yemen’s fragmented military in an effort to reduce chaos. | Daily Star

A Yemeni human rights organization has revealed that since the GCC proposal, six women and six children have been killed, raising statistics to 45 women and 91 children killed since January of 2011. | Al-Sahwah

Oxfam and Islamic Relief have stated that the food crisis in Yemen is worsening; some people have to go without food for days, with one in five children acutely malnourished. | AFP

DECEMBER 14

An agreement between Saleh and Commander of the First Armored Division Ali Mohsin Al-Ahmar has allegedly been reached to transfer all units of the Yemeni army outside the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. | Sahwa

The Yemeni Interior Ministry has announced that hundreds of protesters who were detained over the past ten months will be released. | BBC News

Security forces have managed to capture six Al-Qaeda militants in Yemen, among them one high-value target. | Yemen News Agency

DECEMBER 13

As the biggest winners of the struggle against Saleh, Yemen’s Islamists are poised to take power but appear to be satisfied with the sharing of victory with other parties. | Al-Arabiya

Six alleged Al-Qaeda militants were arrested after 12 members escaped from a prison in Aden. | Gulf News

Saudi Arabia has stated that it will provide Yemen with urgently needed goods, including whichever oil products is requires. | Washington Post

DECEMBER 12

Fifteen suspected Al-Qaeda members have escaped from a south Yemen prison. | CNN

The new Yemeni government has been sworn in; it consists of 34 Ministers who are distributed evenly between the ruling party and the opposition. Saleh will remain honorary President until February 21. | Yemen Post

Fifteen suspected terror militants were killed and seven others injured when government forces attacked hideouts in Abyan. | Yemen Post

DECEMBER 7

Yemen’s Prime Minister Basindawa has stated that the unity government has been completed and will be announced soon. | Ahram Online

The Yemeni regime and opposition have accused each other of shelling government and residential areas in the country’s capital. | Washington Post

Three Houthi rebels have been killed in an attack by Sunni Islamists in Yemen’s northern Saada province. | Ahram Online

DECEMBER 6

Yemen’s new prime minister has stated that an interim government intends to pull the country away from the brink of civil war; the announcement came as troops were pulled from Taiz where violence has been ongoing. | Reuters  

DECEMBER 5

Vice President Hadi has established a 14-member council whose duty will be to reform the military. | Yemen Post

Clashes between the Yemeni army and tribal fighters in Taiz have left at least 28 dead over the past three days. | Washington Post

DECEMBER 2

Fighting between Shia rebels and Sunni Islamists wounded at least 26 people in northern Yemen. | Reuters

Tribal sources indicate that Al-Houthi rebels have attacked an Islamist school and other sites in Dammaj, killing an estimated 21 people and wounding 50 others. | Yemen Observer

NOVEMBER 30

Fighting between Shia rebels and Sunni Islamists wounded at least 26 people in northern Yemen. | Reuters

Gunmen have shot two Yemeni soldiers in Aden as thousands rallied to call for secession from the North. | AFP

Forces loyal to President Saleh have shelled several neighborhoods across Taiz, killing one person and wounding three others. | Daily Star

NOVEMBER 29

Days after Yemen’s Saleh transferred his power, opposition leader Mohammad Basindwa has been named interim prime minister. | Gulf News

Prime Minister Basindwa has promised that a new government will be announced within days. | Reuters

NOVEMBER 21

Over 400 Yemeni soldiers have defected from the army in light of continued violence. | Yemen Post

A UN Security Council session on Yemen has been postponed to November 28, leaving President Saleh more time to find a political solution. | Yemen Post

A Yemeni activist’s campaign entitled #No2GCCdeal has caught traction among the population on Facebook and Twitter. | Yemen Post

NOVEMBER 18

Tens of thousands of Yemeni worshippers have gathered in Sana’a for Friday prayers and demanded that Saleh be tried for the alleged use of violence against protestors. | Reuters

The UNCHR reports that Yemen has seen a surge of refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia, with a record 12,545 arriving by sea as they flee unrest, famine, and persecution. | AFP

The World Food Program has approved an increase in its 2012 budget for Yemen to $32.6 million. | Yemen Observer

NOVEMBER 17

Protestors in Yemen’s capital and in Taiz have gathered to call on the Arab League to impose sanctions on President Saleh’s government and suspend the country’s membership. | Bloomberg

Seven were killed in Yemen’s north as clashes erupted between rebels and gunmen affiliated with the opposition Common Forum. | AFP

NOVEMBER 16

Yemeni troops have killed seven Al-Qaeda linked militants in the latest fighting in Zinjibar. | AP

Over 400 illegal Somali immigrants have been returned to Yemen after an alleged attempt to cross into the southern border of Saudi Arabia. | Yemen Post

NOVEMBER 15

In an interview, President Saleh has stated that after an agreement with the GCC is reached and signed, he will leave office “within 90 days.” | CNN

Yemen’s Industry and Trade Minister has stated that the government plans to ask international donors for an “adrenaline injection” of $4 billion in loans and debt relief to lift the economy out of recession and ease company borrowing costs. | Yemen Online

NOVEMBER 14

The French government announced that three French nationals who had been kidnapped over five months ago by alleged Al-Qaeda militants have been released. | Yemen Post

Yemeni government forces and allied tribesmen have killed ten militants in attacks across the country. | Washington Post

NOVEMBER 10

Gunmen in civilian clothing opened fire on anti-government protesters and tanks shelled residential neighborhoods, killing a 13-year-old boy and leaving at least a dozen people wounded in Yemen’s main cities. | Washington Post

Yemeni Political Activist Said Ashal has escaped an assassination attempt by suspected Al-Qaeda operatives in Abyan. | Yemen Observer

NOVEMBER 9

As fighting continues in Zinjibar, government officials have reported the death of 10 Al-Qaeda militants. | Yemen Post

NOVEMBER 8

The French foreign minister has stated that the EU is set to discuss the possibility of freezing President Saleh’s assets in order to pressure him to resign. | Yemen Post

Fierce fighting continues in Zinjibar between government forces and alleged Al-Qaeda members, bringing the death toll to 11 with at least 6 Al-Qaeda militants killed. | Yemen Post

NOVEMBER 3

Mohammed Al-Haithami Ashal, a member of Yemen’s consultative council and Ahmed Naser Ashal, an army colonel were wounded when their car was fired on by presumed Al-Qaeda militants. | AFP

Hamoud Al-Soufi, Governor and Head of Security Committee in Taiz, has ordered all security and army forces to withdraw from the streets of Taiz. | Saba News Agency

NOVEMBER 1

Political figures close to prominent Tunisian lawyer Abdelfattah Mourou say that he could return to the moderate Islamist party Ennahda in the near future after failing to win a seat in the Constituent Assembly. | Tunisia Live

OCTOBER 31

Ansar Al-Sharia has denied that its media chief was killed in an air raid in Southern Yemen two weeks ago. | Reuters

Yemen’s ruling party is due to announce Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi as its candidate for the presidential elections which are proposed to be held after President Saleh resigns. | Xinhua

OCTOBER 28

A senior Yemeni police commander has been killed in a car bomb attack in South Yemen. | Reuters

If instability continues in Yemen, Nexen Inc. could be forced out of one of its biggest oil projects by the end of the year. | Globe and Mail

OCTOBER 27

The Yemeni government forces have killed six Islamist militants as part of efforts to drive fighters out of three cities in Yemen’s south. | Reuters

OCTOBER 26

Thousands of women have burned their traditional veils in protest of Saleh’s crackdown on anti-government demonstrations. | CNN

Yemen LNG has stated that it was “back in business” after repairs to the natural gas facilities were completed after an attack earlier this month. | UPI

OCTOBER 25

Troops loyal to Saleh opened fire at thousands of protestors gathered in Sana’a, killing two. | Washington Post

A Yemeni military plane has crashed while landing in Lahej, killing at least four of the 15 people onboard. | AFP

After repairing its damaged pipeline in Yemen following a series of attacks on oil pipelines, Yemen Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) expects to resume operations shortly. | Reuters

OCTOBER 24

Two Yemeni soldiers were killed when armed men opened fire on troops guarding warehouses in Aden. | RTT News

At least 10 people were killed in fighting between Yemeni government forces and opposition fighters in Sana’a. | RReuters

OCTOBER 21

Forces of the Republican Guard and the country’s security forces have begun to fiercely bombard some zones of Al-Hasaba despite an alleged truce with tribal leader Sadeq Al-Ahmar. | Sahwa Net

Residents in Aden reported heavy shelling on Thursday night; gun battles between residents and men dressed in civilian clothing also continue across the region. Drone attacks in Shabwa are also taking place. | Yemen Post; Yemen Post

OCTOBER 20

Insurgents suspected to be linked to al-Qaeda have kidnapped seven Yemeni soldiers in the southern province of Abyan. | Oman Daily Observer

Yemeni President Saleh has stated that he will sign the GCC proposal, but there must be guarantees from the Gulf, Europe, and the United States. | Washington Post

OCTOBER 19

An unidentified assailant has thrown a grenade into a marketplace in southern Yemen, killing two and wounding 11. | Jerusalem Post

Yemeni government forces have opened fire on protestors in Sana’a, killing 12 and injuring more than 70 in the capital’s worst fighting in weeks. | Washington Post

OCTOBER 18

Fighting between troops loyal to Saleh and rival forces killed at least 18 people; the clashes are considered to be the worst which Sana’a has witnessed in weeks. | USA Today

OCTOBER 17

At least eight were killed in Sana’a during overnight clashes between government forces and fighters allied with activists demanding an end to Saleh’s rule. | Reuters

At least twelve people were killed when revolutionaries demanding the fall of the regime clashed with southern secessionist supporters in Mukallah. | Yemen Post

Yemeni security officials have said that U.S. military drone strikes killed a top Al-Qaeda operative in Yemen and the son of Al-Awlaki. | Los Angeles Times

OCTOBER 13

The Yemeni government has urged the UN to avoid a resolution targeting President Saleh, calling on it to instead back a political solution for the country’s crisis. | AFP

The Yemeni foreign minister has met with the Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors and highlighted his government’s readiness to sign the GCC-brokered deal to end the crisis in Yemen. | Kuwait News Agency

An Al-Qaeda suicide bomber blasted a police patrol in Aden, injuring two policemen and causing some damage to a police truck; the bomber was the only man killed. | Yemen Observer

OCTOBER 12

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Yemen has stated that the security situation in the country has “deteriorated very dramatically.” | RTT News

A UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has warned that because the international community has not paid enough attention to Yemen’s growing humanitarian emergency, a risk of another crisis, much like Somalia, is possible. | Alert Net

OCTOBER 11

Despite initially denying that he was dead, Al-Qaeda has finally admitted the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki. | Yemen Post

The Shura Council in Yemen is meeting to elect a new president; since the death of Prime Minister Ghani, the Council has been left without an appointed leader. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s President Saleh has again promised that he will step down from power soon. | Los Angeles Times

OCTOBER 7

Tawakul Karman, a key figure among youth activists in Yemen, has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize; speaking on the award, Karman said that the prize is a victory for Yemen and all Arab Spring revolutions and a message that the era of Arab dictatorships is over. | Reuters

Militants affiliated with Islah have blasted an oil pipe that links oil fields in Marib province to Ras Isa oil port in Hodeida province. | Yemen Observer

Yemeni security forces wounded eight in Taiz after the forces opened fire to disperse a protest calling for Saleh’s ousting. | Hurriyet

OCTOBER 6

President Obama has waived a child soldier ban on Yemen in order to provide military funding to the country; human rights advocates say that the waiver undermines the intentions of Congress. | ABC News

A U.S. drone strike has killed five Al-Qaeda-linked militants and injured seven in Southern Yemen. | USA Today

OCTOBER 5

Government forces attacked protesters and civilians in Taiz, killing at least eight and injuring others. | Yemen Post

Yemeni airplanes launched several air strikes against a number of Al-Qaeda strongholds, killing at least twelve terrorists and injuring dozens of others in Abyan. | Xinhua

Despite claims by U.S. officials that Al-Qaeda’s top bomb maker Ibrahim Al-Asiri appeared to be among the dead after drone strikes, a top Yemeni official has indicated that this is not true. | Time

OCTOBER 4

Mortar fire killed two Yemenis and wounded six in Sana’ain fresh fighting between soldiers loyal to Saleh and forces siding with anti-government protestors. | Reuters

A report by the US Military Academy’s Combating Terrorism Center reports that while Al-Qaeda in Yemen has taken a hit with the death of Awlaki, remaining leaders are equally committed to attacking the US mainland and far more skilled than Awlaki. | CBS News

OCTOBER 3

As the United States and Yemen relish over the death of Anwar Al-Awlaki, Al-Qaeda announces that the allegations are false and that Awlaki is very much alive. | Yemen Post

Protests in Yemen continued with new demands from the public for President Saleh’s arrest and trial. | Euro News

Thirty soldiers were killed when a government air raid mistakenly hit their hideout in the southern province of Abyan. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 30

In a special interview with the Washington Post and Time Magazine, Yemeni President Saleh talked about the GCC initiative, elections, and the crackdown on protestors. | Washington Post

The Yemeni military has announced that an airstrike killed radical US-born Anwar Awlaki, a prominent Al-Qaeda voice. Details of the cleric’s death are still sparse. | LA Times

Recent US air strikes have targeted and killed a number of militants in Yemen, among them Samir Khan who left his Charlotte home to become an editor of the Al-Qaeda-linked Inspire magazine. | News Observer

A group of Yemeni clerics have described taking arms against the government “a wrongdoing,” and prohibited all armed protests. | Yemen Observer

SEPTEMBER 29

Heavy clashes rocked Sana’a, killing two people and breaking a truce aimed at ending violence between Yemeni troops and protestors. | Reuters

An explosion rocked the Central Security Headquarters in Sana’a, injuring four troops in the process. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s vice president has warned that if the situation explodes in the country, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered plan and all peaceful solutions will no longer be viable. The vice president has been authorized by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to negotiate a power transfer deal.| Yemen Post; RTT News

SEPTEMBER 28

A senior Western diplomat has suggested that Yemen’s government and opposition are making progress in talks on a power transfer to end escalating violence in the country. | Bloomberg

Tribesmen fighting Yemeni troops loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh shot down an army jet as protests continue. | AFP

Saboteurs from the Joint Meeting Parties bombed the Marib oil pipeline and a number of power towers with an explosive device, sending several cities into blackouts. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 27

Yemen’s defense minister escaped an assassination attemptwhen a suicide bomber attacked his convoy in Aden; internal sources claim that the attack bears the hallmarks of al-Qaeda. | CNN

Brigadier General Ahmed Abdullah Al-Kulaibi has been killed in the Nihm district, where fighting between the army and tribes has been ongoing for months; a number of troops were also taken hostage when tribesmen raided the Republican Guard brigade. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 26

In his first speech to the nation since his return from Saudi Arabia, President Ali Abdullah Saleh warned Yemeni citizens that the bloodbath would not succeed and that the only solution would be dialogue, touching briefly on parliamentary elections and early presidential elections. | Wall Street Journal

Antigovernment tribesmen stormed an army base north of Sana’a, capturing 30 soldiers and dealing a blow to the elite Republican Guards. | Wall Street Journal

SEPTEMBER 23

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh is back in the country for the first time since the presidential palace bombing in June. He has called for a ceasefire to stop fighting between his supporters and opponents that has been ongoing for five days.| Yemen Post; Reuters

The United States has expressed its support for a peaceful and organized transfer of power in Yemen. | Yemen News Agency

SEPTEMBER 22

Fighting between pro- and anti-government forces continued through Sana’a with at least four soldiers and one protestor killed today. | Reuters

Ten al-Qaeda suspects were killed in U.S. drone attacks on Yemen’s south. Al-Qaeda militants, among them al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s number two, Saeed Al-Shehri, are present in the region. | AFP

According to anonymous sources, the son of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the expected heir to the throne, has given the order for shelling to resume as protestors gather to bury their dead. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 21

Despite a truce between rival military units and anti-regime protestors in Yemen, artillery fire and shelling continued to rock Sana’a. | AFP

The Arab League has suggested that it should suspend the membership of Yemen and Syria to put pressure on the two countries to pursue reform. | Reuters Africa

SEPTEMBER 20

Violence in Sana’a continues for the third day, bringing the death toll to 55; troops of General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar continue to clash with those loyal to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. | Global Post

The United States has condemned the violence in Yemen and called for a “peaceful and orderly transition” in the country. | Yemen Post

Aid agencies are warning that in addition to violence plaguing Sana’a, one in three Yemenis is now going hungry. | France 24

SEPTEMBER 19

Two days of fighting in Sana’a have led to the deaths of 50 people, marking the most serious outbreak of violence in months. Western nations have condemned the violence. | NPR; Gulf News

The United States has increased the frequency of drone strikes and other air attacks against al-Qaeda in Yemen. | Washington Post

Thousands of protestors took to the streets demanding the resignation of the president. | Wall Street Journal

SEPTEMBER 16

Officials in Saudi Arabia and Yemen say that President Ali Abdullah Saleh will not return to Sana’a. | Forbes

Thousands of people in Yemen came together to demand the resignation of their president. | Voices of America

Four people were killed and three others injured when the Republican Guard shelled positions of tribal fighters in the al-Hasaba district. | Yemen Post

Tens of people were injured when security forces shot live bullets and teargas at a demonstration in Taiz. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 15

According to military sources, Saudi Arabia has sent tanks to the Yemeni regime in order to help quell the uprisings against the government. | Yemen Post

One civilian was killed and fifteen others were injured in a bomb explosion in Dhamar. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 14

Nine people have been killed in two days of clashes between tribal forces and an elite military unit in Arhab. | AFP

Fighting between the Yemeni army and tribal fighters in Zinjibar has led to the deaths of twelve people. | Reuters Africa

SEPTEMBER 13

U.S. intelligence suggests that while al-Qaeda’s core leadership has been severely damaged, the network’s affiliate in Yemen poses a growing danger. | AFP

A team of UN officials is calling for an international probe in Yemen. | AP

SEPTEMBER 12

Saleh has authorized his Vice President to sign a power transition plan after dialogue with the opposition. | Xinhua

Yemen has denied rumors that the country is facing a food supply shortage. | Yemen Online

New clashes erupted in Abyan between militants and government forces. | Yemen Post

SEPTEMBER 7

President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s ruling party has agreed to a modified version of the Gulf-brokered proposal for the transfer of power in Yemen. | Yemen Post

Yemeni warplanes have launched a series of airstrikes in Abyan, which killed at least three militants. | AP

SEPTEMBER 6

An official Ministry of Defense source has denied that there has been an The head of the National Yemeni Council for the Revolution has said that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered proposal is no longer acceptable. | Yemen Post

At least 31 citizens were killed in three airstrikes as the Yemeni army continues to fight off al-Qaeda militants. | Yemen Post

The Yemeni government has demanded the immediate departure of the French ambassador, with government sources citing French support for the revolution as the factor leading to the decision. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 31

An official Ministry of Defense source has denied that there has been an assassination attempt on the Yemeni minister of defense. | Yemen Post

Defected General Ali Mohsen has warned President Ali Abdullah Saleh not to follow in the footsteps of Satan and urged him to step down from power. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 30

President Ali Abdullah Saleh has asked his party to negotiate with the opposition to hold early presidential elections in Yemen. | Yemen Post

A new round of fighting in southern Yemen led to the death of ten soldiers and 26 militants. | Boston Globe

Protestors continued to gather in squares across Yemen today to celebrate the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 29

President Saleh plans to return to Yemen following the investigation into his attempted assassination. | CNN

The Yemeni Defense Ministry has announced that the navy has foiled a suicide attack targeting a warship off the coast of Abyan. | Yemen Post

Four troops were killed and a dozen injured in fighting between the army and suspected Al-Qaeda militants in Southern Yemen. Two soldiers were also killed and others injured when armed gunmen ambushed a military vehicle in Shabwa. Seven government soldiers were killed when suspected Al-Qaeda militants attacked in Abyan. | Yemen Post; Yemen Post; Yemen Post

AUGUST 26

Over 3,700 Somali refugees have chosen to flee to Yemen in the month of August amid severe droughts in their homeland. | AFP

Yemeni military officials say that an airstrike has killed 8 suspected Al-Qaeda militants. | Forbes

AUGUST 25

The Yemeni Revolutionary Guard has launched intensive rocket and artillery strikes on the villages of Arhab. | Sahwa Net

At least 42 have been killed in ongoing clashes between security forces and Al-Qaeda militants in Abyan. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 24

According to medical and military officials, Yemeni forces have killed at least 30 militants near Zinjibar in the Abyan Province. | Voice of America

An Al-Qaeda attack on a military camp in Yemen’s Abyan province has left eight soldiers dead. | Yemen Post

Yemen’s prime minister has returned home from Saudi Arabia after injuries he suffered in the June assassination attempt. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 23

Four militants were killed and two injured in an army assault on a suspected Al-Qaeda hideout in Abyan. | RTT News

Yemen’s prime minister plans to be the first senior politician injured in the June assassination attempt to return home from Saudi Arabia. | Reuters

The Arab Parliament has called on President Saleh to hand over power to his people. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 22

At least twelve were killed and eight injured when two bombers blew themselves up in two different districts of Abyan. | Yemen Post

Around 23 members in the National Council formed by the Yemeni opposition have rejected membership in the council; the National Tadhamon Council also announced its withdrawal from the National Council.| Yemen Post; Yemen Post

AUGUST 19

A Yemeni airstrike hit Shaqrah, killing at least five militants after they had taken control of the region. | Jerusalem Post

Yemen has accused opposition official Hamid al-Ahmer of being involved in the assassination attempt to kill President Saleh. | Yemen Post

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets in the southern city of Taiz in support of a national council to run the popular revolution. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 18

Suspected Al-Qaeda militants took over the coastal town of Shaqrah in Yemen’s Abyan province. | Yemen Post

Seven Al-Qaeda suspects, among them two Saudi nationals, have been arrested by tribesmen in South Yemen. | Yemen Post

The largest Yemeni tribal congregation was held on Tuesday to discuss solutions for the country. | Yemen Times

AUGUST 17

Yemen’s Joint Meeting Parties, an opposition coalition, said that a national council would be established to counter President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule. | Bloomberg

In his fifth televised appearance since leaving the country, President Saleh assured supporters that he intends to be back in Yemen soon; he called on opposition parties to use dialogue instead of force. | Yemen Post

At least 26 people were killed in Arhab when republican guard forces attacked villages in the hunt for tribal fighters. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 16

At least 4,000 representatives from different tribes across Yemen are meeting to take unified steps towards the political stabilization of the country. | Trend

According to alleged witness accounts and sources close to Al-Qaeda, a violent battle between members of an Al-Qaeda cell in Yemen left four militants dead and five injured. | Trend

Twenty-three tribesmen were killed in clashes with troops loyal to President Saleh in Arhab. | AFP

AUGUST 15

The Gulf Cooperation Council-designed plan for the power transition in Yemen has been modified for the sixth time; amendments have been added to approve a two-phase transition period that guarantees President Saleh’s exit through elections. | Yemen Post

Sixteen Al-Qaeda militants were killed in clashes that continued for more than 24 hours with the Yemeni government. | Yemen Post

Yemen has fallen into the “extreme risk” category of the Terrorism Risk Index for the first time. | Yemen Observer

AUGUST 11

Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said that the Gulf proposal for power transfer should be treated positively; the proposal stipulates that Saleh would submit his resignation 30 days after passing power to his vice president, with presidential elections following two months after. | AFP

Four suspected al-Qaeda members have been killed by army fire outside of Zinjibar. | Ahram Online

AUGUST 10

The UN Security Council has urged all sides in Yemen to reject violence and show maximum restraint. Yemeni opposition has welcomed the UN’s call for a transfer of power. | Yemen News Agency; CNN

A new truce has been reached between Yemeni forces and armed tribesmen in Taiz. | AFP

AUGUST 9

Despite reports from Asharq al-Awsat that U.S. officials had convinced President Ali Abdullah Saleh not to return to Yemen, the SABA news agency confirmed that Saleh would indeed return to the country “after a specified period of convalescence.” | Al-Jazeera

The local government and tribal elders in Taiz have agreed to a ceasefire to stop the violence that has been ongoing for months. | Yemen Post

AUGUST 8

Debates in Yemen continue as to whether President Ali Abdullah Saleh is fit to rule the country and whether his authority should be transferred. | Yemen Times

Fears of civil war were renewed as clashes broke out between the Al-Hamar tribe and the Republican guards in Al-Hasaba. On Saturday, one citizen was killed and two soldiers wounded in another set of confrontations between armed tribesmen and the Republican guards in Taiz. Friday also witnessed clashes that forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes. | Yemen Times; Yemen Times; Yemen Post

AUGUST 5

Tens of thousands of opponents and supporters of the Saleh regime held rival rallies after Friday prayers in Taez and Sana’a today. | Ahram Online

The World Bank has suspended hundreds of millions of American aid money to Yemen due to the country’s political and security situation. | Yemen Post

Assistant Secretary General of the General People’s Congress (GPC) has made it clear that President Ali Abdullah Saleh does not have the right to step down from the presidency before informing his party. Another GPC official also stated that Saleh will be returning home upon completion of his treatment. | Yemen Post; Yemen News Agency

AUGUST 4

Three civilians were killed and dozens of others wounded in Arhab today, due to missile and artillery attacks by the Yemeni regime that have intensified since anti-government protestors took to the streets. | Sahwa Net

A survey by the Foreign Policy Research Institute has revealed that there is alarming support for al-Qaeda among Yemen’s population and resistance to American intervention in the country. | Yemen Times

The latest UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report has found that clashes in Yemen have forced around 15,000 people from their homes. | Alert Net

AUGUST 3

Three civilians were killed and dozens of others wounded in Arhab today, due to missile and artillery attacks by the Yemeni regime that have intensified since anti-government protestors took to the streets. | Sahwa Net

JULY 29

The once peaceful Yemeni revolution is shifting to the use of arms to get their demands met. Political powers are clashing with the government in an effort to take over military camps. | Yemen Post

Massive rallies are unfolding across Yemen on Friday as anti-government activists renew calls for change. Demonstrators are seeking an end to President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s thirty-three year rule. | Voice of America

Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Yemen’s foreign minister, warned that the country will face a civil war if Saleh is forced to leave power. He insisted that Saleh will only leave power through the election ballots. | Yemen Post

JULY 28

A prominent al-Qaeda leader and four terrorists were killed in an air strike in Yemen’s southern province of Abyan. The leader was not identified. | Yemen Post

Al-Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen are demanding a $12 million ransom for the release of three French aid workers who went missing in May. | Voice of America

There are emerging cracks within Yemen’s opposition of secularists, Islamists, separatists, leftists, and others who are only united by their desire to see President Ali Abdullah Saleh ousted. | Reuters

JULY 27

In an audio message posted on some Jihadist websites, the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Nasser Al-Wuhaishi, said his loyalists are present inside the squares of change beside the youth-led protesters demanding the ouster of the regime, and criticized both the ruling party and opposition in Yemen. | Yemen Post

Two divisions from the Central Security and the Republican Guard joined the popular youth-led revolution on Tuesday, as military defections to the squares of freedom and change continue in Yemeni cities. | Yemen Post

Yemen must launch a “credible” transition plan and all sides in the political crisis should reject violence, the EU’s chief diplomat, Catherine Ashton, said Wednesday after talks with the Yemeni foreign minister. | Khaleej Times

JULY 26

Civil unrest is having a severe impact on children’s well-being in Yemen. The toll and impact of the recent developments in Yemen have weighed very heavily on the civilian population, especially children. These developments are taking place against a backdrop of economic collapse. | Yemen Post

Jamal Ben Omar, the UN special envoy to Yemen, said the situation in Yemen is “very dangerous,” adding that it could become an international threat. He noted any solution to Yemen’s impasse cannot come from the outside but from Yemenis themselves. | UPI

The World Food Programme is expanding its food assistance to the total population of 50,617 internally displaced persons who have fled fighting in Abyan governorate. | Yemen Post

JULY 25

Vice President Abd-Rabbu Hadi Mansour said on Sunday that a political roadmap would be launched within a week. The opposition, however, dismissed his statement, demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s overthrow and saying it had not even heard of any such “roadmap” for peace.| Yemen Post; Reuters

The opposition Justice and Building Party called for the formation of a 345- member national council to lead the country for one year while youth were given 40 percent of seats in the council. The roadmap calls for the involvement of all political factions equally and a presidential council of eleven people. | Yemen Post

JULY 22

Tens of thousands marched in seventeen provinces to demand the immediate resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh and protest dwindling supplies of fuel and electricity. | Bloomberg

The only thing standing in the way of a peaceful political transition in Yemen is the country’s president, said Janet Sanderson, deputy U.S. assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs. | UPI

Some twelve youth coalitions inside the change square outside Sana’a University in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a said on Thursday that a revolutionary council is now taking shape, and urged all coalitions to join it. Muhammad Abdul Wahab Al-Qadhi was named as the council coordinator and Abdul Bari Tahir as official spokesman. | Yemen Post

JULY 21

Security forces opened fire on thousands of anti-government protesters in the southern city of Taiz on Thursday, killing at least one person. | Voice of America; AFP

The Emir of al-Qaeda in Yemen’s Marib province was killed along with tens of Islamists in Zinjbar in battles between the army and suspected al-Qaeda fighters. | Yemen Post; Voice of America

President Ali Abdullah Saleh said political voices in Yemen are called on to respond to requests from the vice president to sit at the negotiating table. He noted all political forces should heed the vice president’s calls for a national dialogue and stressed that peaceful discussions were the only way to overcome national problems in Yemen. | UPI

JULY 20

Yemen’s opposition plans to form a coalition by August 1 to unite its various strands ahead of the return of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The aim is to bring together the Common Forum parliamentary opposition parties, the young protesters, the Southern Movement, northern Shiite rebels, civil society representatives, and others.| Egyptian Gazette; Xinhua

A car bomb in Aden killed a British national in Aden on Tuesday. | BBC

Months of political unrest in Yemen, which crippled the Arab country’s economy, have cost its industrial and trade sectors at least $17 billion. | Reuters

JULY 19

The UK will not recognize any transitional council to manage Yemen’s affairs, said Jonathan Wiliks, the UK ambassador to Sana’a on Monday, two days after the youth-led revolution council formed a transitional council that includes opposition figures abroad.| Yemen Post

Government shelling has killed more than 20 militants in the past two days in the southern province of Abyan. Hassan Basonbol, a leader of suspected al-Qaeda militants, was killed by the army, a government spokesman said. Radical groups linked to al-Qaeda have overrun at least two towns in the country’s south and government forces have been trying to force them out.| Associated Press; AFP

Fighting between government forces and opposition supporters erupted in Sana’a on Monday, killing six people. The fighting was the first to break out in Sana’a since President Ali Abdullah Saleh flew to Saudi Arabia.| Reuters

JULY 18

Tens of thousands of Yemenis went to the streets on Sunday for a “day of rage” protesting the thirty-third anniversary of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s rule. The protest organizers named members of a transitional council to implement the goals of the revolution. Houthi rebels are not represented in the council and denounced the move as a “dangerous step” that “may lead to civil war.” | New York Times

Security forces fired upon tens of thousands of protesters in Taiz as they urged the formation of a transnational In an article published Monday, Saleh called his opponents “traitors” and called for dialogue. | Xinhua

Fighting broke out in the southern Yemeni town of Zinjibar, as security forces, backed by armed tribesmen, battled Islamic militants in the region. The clashes began Sunday night. | CNN

JULY 14

White House counterterrorism advisor John Brennan informed Yemen’s opposition Tuesday that President Ali Abdullah Saleh will soon return. The main opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP), and the pro-democracy youth movement blamed the United States for his return. General Ahmed Saleh, President Saleh’s son, convinced Brennan that even if Saleh were to step down, the ruling family should remain responsible for counterterrorism operations. | The National

Security forces fired upon tens of thousands of protesters in Taiz as they urged the formation of a transnational council. | BNO News Wire; Yemen Post

The IMF stated that Yemen’s economy will shrink this year due to the current unrest and said inflation may soar up to 30 percent. The economy is on the brink of collapse as Yemenis face looming food, water, and electricity shortages. | Kipp Report

JULY 13

President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the country’s most powerful tribal leader of the Hashid forces, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, agreed on a ceasefire deal after five days of continuous fighting that led to 124 people dead in Sana’a. | BBC

Vice President Abd Rabu Mansur Hadi announced plans to launch a national dialogue to implement the initiative presented by the Gulf countries to transfer power peacefully. According to sources, the opposition, along with the United States and the European Union, agreed that Saleh must first resign and hand over power to his vice president before dialogue takes place.| Radio Sawa; Asharq al-Awsat

JULY 12

A Yemeni official announced that five militants were killed in a government airstrike in a southern region known for its ties to Islamists. | Reuters

Tribesmen who attacked Yemen’s main oil pipeline in March have agreed to allow the government to enter the area to carry out repairs. The revenue lost while the pipeline was out of commission has had a significant impact on the country’s delicate economy. | Reuters 

JULY 7

Government security forces announced they killed Walid Osairi, who was one of the most wanted al-Qaeda militants in Abyan. Osairi was also one of the main leaders of al-Qaeda’s field commanders. | Yemen Post

Nearly 500 opposition and military figures were placed on a travel ban list, according to a Kuwaiti source. The individuals were accused of criminal activities, including belonging to al-Qaeda and other militant organizations, as well as attempting to assassinate President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Among those on the list are: Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Abdel Majid al-Zindani, Hashed tribe chief Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, and military leader Mohsin al-Ahmar. | Al-Youm Al-Saba’a

Security officials arrested Mani al-Matari, a member of the organizational committee of the youth-led revolution, at Sana’a International Airport after he returned from Qatar, where he appeared on several shows on Al Jazeera. | Yemen Post

JULY 6

Forty al-Qaeda militants and two soldiers were killed in the past two days by Yemeni forces in Abyan. One of the militants killed was a chief al-Qaeda operative. Protesters continued to blame the government for the takeover of the southern province by extremists, and a delegation demanding an explanation for the security fallout was blocked from marching to the residence of Vice President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi. | BBC; Middle East Online; UPI

The UAE and Oman announced they would grant Yemen crude oil to mitigate the fuel crisis in the country amid unrest. The UAE alone said it would send 3 million barrels of crude oil in addition to 500,000 tons of wheat, as warnings of a food crisis surfaced. | Yemen Post

JULY 5

The interior ministry announced a wanted list that includes 59 members of the opposition coalition for launching attacks against the Republican Guard. The majority of those wanted are members of the Islamic Islah Party, who are accused of killing Republican Guard soldiers in the Arhab district in Sanaa. The government announced a reward of 3 million rial for their capture. | People’s Daily

Hassan Zaid, head of the Shiite opposition party al-Haqq, was briefly arrested by security officials, who allegedly called him a traitor and an agent of Iran. A security official said that there was an arrest warrant for Zaid, but the Shiite leader denied reports that he was summoned. | AFP

The secretary-general of the Nasserite Unionist People’s Organization said that the transitional council could be created within a week. Presidential aide Abdu Ganadi, however, warned against a transitional council to replace the current government, claiming it would spark a civil war. Meanwhile, Saud al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, confirmed that President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s condition has stabilized and that he is in “generally good health.” He did not specify when the Yemeni president would return to his country. | UPI; Reuters

JULY 1

Rallies took place after Friday prayers against President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Sixty Street, with tens of thousands of people calling for Saleh to resign. Much smaller pro-Saleh rallies also took place on Seventy Street. | Reuters

Dozens of Yemeni officers from the Republican Guards were arrested for defecting from the regime. Saleh’s son ordered their arrest for allegedly holding secret talks with Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who joined anti-government protesters along with 50,000 troops. | AP

Several opposition parties will meet on July 2 to discuss the formation of a transitional council. Pressure from eighteen provinces has been mounting to form the council and avoid a power vacuum with the absence of Saleh. The secretary-general of the opposition Haqq Party vowed that the council would be inclusive of all active political forces in the country. | UPI

JUNE 30

Thousands of Yemenis continued protesting in Sana’a, Taiz, Ibb, al-Baydah, Mukalla, and other cities to demand the establishment of a transitional council to rule the country in the absence of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is being treated in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained during an attack on his compound on June 3. | Bloomberg

Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansoor Hadi admitted that the Yemeni government has lost control over five provinces. Hadi said that Saleh’s injuries are so severe that “it could be months” before the president returns home from Saudi Arabia, where he is undergoing medical treatment. | CNN

 In a message sent through his foreign minister on state television, Saleh called for the resumption of a dialogue with the opposition to implement the stalled Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) transition plan. Al-Qirbi, who visited Saleh in the Saudi hospital where he is undergoing treatment, said that Saleh expressed his desire to resume talks with the opposition “in order to agree on a vehicle by which to implement the Gulf initiative.” | Reuters

JUNE 29

About ten Islamist militants were killed during air strikes by Yemen’s military in Zinzibar, the capital of the southern province of Abyan. Warplanes also accidentally hit a bus traveling from Zinjibar to Aden, killing five passengers and wounding twelve others.  | Reuters

Sheik Ali Youssef of the Naham tribe reported that Republican Guard forces, which are commanded by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s son, began bombarding the villages scattered in the Naham mountain area north of Sanaa, on June 27. Bombing continued overnight and into the following day, killing at least three people, destroying 48 houses, and forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes. | AP

A car bomb detonated outside of an army outpost guarding the Aden Free Zone business park’s entrance, killing four soldiers and a civilian and injuring sixteen other people. The bomb exploded in the car of the outpost’s commander, Colonel Khaled al-Yafi’I, who died in the attack. | Reuters

JUNE 28

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to give a major televised speech on June 29 reassuring Yemenis of his health and offering political concessions three weeks after being hospitalized in Riyadh with wounds sustained during a bomb attack on his presidential palace. | AFP; Bloomberg

A United Nations delegation began a ten-day mission to examine the human rights situation in Yemen, after the Security Council last week expressed “grave concern” over the violence in Yemen. | AFP

Yemeni officials claimed that security forces had foiled a planned al-Qaeda attack in the southern province of Aden targeting “vital and economic installations.” Six al-Qaeda suspects allegedly involved in the plot were captured while trying to enter the province. | Reuters

JUNE 27

President Ali Abdullah Saleh is expected to deliver a major speech from Saudi Arabia, where he is currently receiving medical treatment, in which he will promise political reforms in the coming period. Yemeni state media staff have flown to Riyadh to conduct an interview with the president within 48 hours. | Xinhua

Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Yemen to demand that a transitional presidential council be created to replace the injured Saleh. | The Washington Post

A senior Yemeni official insisted that Saleh is recovering from wounds sustained in a June 3 attack on his presidential compound and will soon return from Saudi Arabia, where he is being treated. Since Saleh’s departure, regime officials have repeatedly announced that the president will return “within days.” | The Washington Post

JUNE 24

Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in central Sana’a for a “Friday of the Revolutionary Will” to demand that injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down. Protesters called for the formation of an interim council to prepare for elections. | Reuters

A crowd of Saleh supporters displayed posters of the injured president and his Saudi host, King Abdullah, before dispersing peacefully after Friday prayers in central Sana’a. | Reuters

Yemeni forces backed by tanks fired on a funeral procession for a young man beaten to death in police custody, killing at least one person in the southern port city of Aden. The funeral of Ahmed Darwish had evolved into an anti-government protest with tens of thousands of people calling for Saleh’s removal. Darwish was arrested after a suspected al-Qaeda attack on intelligence headquarters in Aden in June 2010. | Washington Post; AFP

JUNE 23

An anonymous Western diplomat said that President Ali Abdullah Saleh remains “seriously injured” and is not likely to return to Yemen from Saudi Arabia any time soon. | Reuters

After a meeting with Vice President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman called for the resumption of a national dialogue and stated that “an immediate, peaceful, and orderly transition is in the best interest of the Yemeni people.”| AFP

Suspected al-Qaeda gunmen are closing in on the southern port city of Aden, where local officials report that militants are preparing to enter the city from the southeast. Al-Qaeda militants have already seized control of most of Abyan province, where Yemen’s 201st Infantry Brigade has reportedly been forced to retreat.|  Xinhua

JUNE 22

Yemeni government officials said President Ali Abdullah Saleh is “well” and will return to Yemen “within the few coming days,” but did not specify a precise date. Saleh is currently undergoing plastic surgery after he suffered severe burns during a rocket attack on his presidential compound. | AFP

In Saleh’s absence, Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has come under intense local and international pressure to heed the demands of protesters to set up an interim ruling council, which would prevent Saleh from returning to power. Last week, Hadi met with youth representatives who pressed him to articulate a clear position on their demands, and gave him two weeks to decide whether or not he will join the proposed council.| AFP

Defected General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar and Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar met with Hadi to urge him to take over power from Saleh. Under the constitution, Hadi is only authorized to replace Saleh temporarily.| AFP

JUNE 21

President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is being treated in Saudi Arabia after an attack on his compound, will return to Yemen on June 24, according to a senior adviser, Ahmed Al-Soufi. Saleh will “rule as normal and the country will continue to be under his control,” Al-Soufi stated. | CNN

Opposition leaders dismissed reports of Saleh’s imminent return as false rumors. “The ruling party are experts in lying and that is why we are not taking their comments seriously,” said Hasan Zaid of the opposition Haq Party. | CNN

At least ten Salafi militants linked to al-Qaeda were killed in clashes with Yemeni soldiers near the southern city of Zinjibar in an overnight battle that involved air strikes. Hundreds of Islamist militants calling themselves Ansar al-Sharia (Supporters of Sharia Law) seized control of Zinjibar in May. | Reuters 

JUNE 20

Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters demonstrated in Sana’a to demand the formation of an interim ruling council in an effort to prevent injured President Ali Abdullah Saleh from returning to power. Protesters are also demanding the removal of Saleh’s relatives from top posts, including his son Ahmed and nephew Amar, who head the elite Presidential Guard and National Security force. | Khaleej Times

President Saleh’s son, Ahmed, has moved into the presidential palace, prompting speculation that some of the president’s closest relatives, who hold key positions in the armed forces, have recognized the leadership of Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour al-Hadi, who became Yemen’s acting president after Saleh’s departure on June 3. | New York Times

Clashes between security forces and Islamic militants in southern Yemen have resulted in 21 casualties in recent days. In the coastal city of Zinjibar, fighting intensified after militants planned a roadside bomb to deter security forces from entering the city. | New York Times 

JUNE 17

According to Yemeni officials, President Saleh plans to return home “within days” after undergoing treatment in Saudi Arabia for serious injuries sustained during an attack on his palace. Ruling party official Yasser al-Yamani claimed that Saleh’s condition has improved and preparations are underway to welcome him home. | AFP

Hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets of Sana’a and other cities after Friday prayers to demand that President Saleh not be permitted to return to Yemen.  They carried banners calling for a transitional council to manage the country until elections are held. | AFP

Residents in the southern province of Abyan reported a series of airstrikes at the northern and southern edges of the town of Jaar, which recently fell under the control of al-Qaeda militants. At least six people were injured in the strikes, including one militant. | AFP

JUNE 16

Protesters in Sana’a continue to demand President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation, although they are not opposed to continued mediation by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—an offer that has been rejected by opposition parties. Spokesmen for the protesters said they are willing to cooperate with Vice President Abdu Rabi Mansour Hadi and a joint coalition. | Al Jazeera

State security forces have been heavily deployed in Aden amid fears that clashes between the army and al-Qaeda militants in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, might spread to the strategic port city. At least 81 soldiers and police have been killed and more than 200 others wounded since clashes broke out in Zinjibar last week. | AFP

JUNE 15

Street protesters represented by the Youth Revolution Coordination Committee renewed their demand that Vice President Abdu Rabo Mansour Hadi and political parties form a transitional council. At a press conference, a committee spokesperson announced a 24-hour deadline for Hadi to declare his position on the proposed transitional council. | News Yemen

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will resume its efforts to negotiate a solution to Yemen’s political crisis, according to UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. “We are concerned over the unstable situation in Yemen … together we have made big efforts to reconcile between the two sides and will continue our efforts in this respect,” he said. | Arab News

Around 400 suspected al-Qaeda militants seized control of parts of the southern city of Houta for several hours. The gunmen entered the city after government forces retreated, but withdrew after failing to take over a security base. Al-Qaeda. | Bloomberg

JUNE 14

President Ali Abdullah Saleh developed throat problems as he recovers from an assassination attempt, but his condition has stabilized overall. The prime minister’s condition is “tragic,” according to a senior official, and the Shura Council speaker is in critical condition. | AP

Opposition forces agreed to suspend fighting with government forces in the town of Taiz after meeting with Acting President Abd Rabu Mansour Hadi. The meeting appeared to have struck a positive tone among opposition figures. | Asharq al-Awsat

Ten Yemeni troops were held hostage by al-Qaeda militants during battles in the southern province of Abyan. Meanwhile, nearly 15,000 Yemenis took refuge in makeshift camps in Aden schools to flee the fighting between soldiers and Islamists. | People’s Daily; Reuters

JUNE 13

Vice President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi met with opposition figures to discuss plans for a power transfer to end the political crisis and power vacuum. Opposition forces have been calling for the creation of a transitional council to lead the nation. Presidential advisor Ahmed al-Sufi warned that forming such a council would facilitate a civil war. | Al Jazeera; Radio Sawa

The minister of health announced that President Ali Abdullah Saleh will address media outlets in the “immediate future” to prove that his health is improving. | AFP

Twenty-one al-Qaeda militants and nine soldiers were killed in clashes between government and militant forces in the southern Abyan province, according to the Defense Ministry. Islamist militants took over Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan, last month. | Reuters

JUNE 10

Nearly 100,000 protestors turned out in the main square in the capital of Sana’a after Friday prayers. The protestors demanded the vice president allow for the creation of a new government in President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s absence. | MSNBC

Five soldiers and three rebels died in clashes between separatists and military officers in Lahj province in the south. This was the first altercation between the government and rebels in the area in three months. | Reuters

CIA chief Leon Panetta said that the United States and Yemen are still cooperating to fight al-Qaeda militants (AQAP) in spite of the political uncertainty in the country. Intelligence experts also claimed that the assassination attempt on Saleh was likely an “inside job.” | Middle East Online

JUNE 9

The United States has stepped up its aerial attacks on militant suspects in Yemen with armed drones and fighter jets in recent weeks, in an effort to contain al-Qaeda militants who are rapidly consolidating their control of Yemen’s southern regions.  | AFP

Yemen’s Defense Ministry issued a statement on June 9 insisting that President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in “stable condition,” following reports by U.S. officials that the president had sustained severe burns on his face and 40 percent of his body. | Bloomberg

Yemen’s opposition is urging Vice President Abduraboo Mansur Hadi to formally declare he has assumed Saleh’s duties. Saleh’s supporters insist that he remains head of state and will return soon to resume his normal role. | Bloomberg

JUNE 8

U.S. officials confirmed that in addition to sustaining burns over 40 percent of his body, President Ali Abdullah Saleh is bleeding inside his skull. Saleh remains in Saudi Arabia, where he is undergoing medical treatment.  | PBS

Youth leaders and human rights activists have announced that they intend to launch their own transitional presidential council if the government refuses to remove Saleh from office and pave the way for a transition of power. | Washington Post

Tribesmen and Yemeni security forces are for the most part respecting a Saudi-brokered truce in Sana’a. Tribal fighters aligned with Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar have withdrawn from several government buildings that they had seized in clashes earlier this week. | Washington Post

JUNE 7

Over 400 armed tribesmen took control of the southwestern city of Taiz, in a major setback for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s embattled forces. Clashes between tribesmen and state security forces had been concentrated around the city’s presidential palace. | CNN

The Yemeni government, under the current stewardship of Vice President Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, rejected offers of negotiation from a coalition of opposition groups, claiming that no dialogue regarding political transition can occur until Saleh returns from medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. | CNN

According to U.S. officials, Saleh suffered burns on over 40 percent of his body and a collapsed lung in the rocket attack on his compound on June 3. An anonymous official described Saleh’s face as “quite charred,” saying that the president “is not as well as his aides are portraying it.”  | The New York Times

JUNE 6

As the truce brokered by Saudi officials on June 4 begins to fray, renewed clashes between Yemeni forces and anti-government protesters have left at least six people dead in Sana’a since President Saleh left the country for treatment of wounds sustained during a rocket attack on his compound.  | NPR

President Saleh’s medical condition has stabilized sufficiently to allow him to return home “in a few days” after undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia, according to Yemen’s vice president and acting leader, Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi. | New York Times

President Saleh, who has been resisting calls to step down for months, abruptly left Yemen for Saudi Arabia after he sustained a head injury during a rocket attack on his presidential compound. Saleh’s departure was coordinated by Saudi officials. Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi has taken over as Yemen’s temporary leader.  | New York Times

JUNE 3

President Saleh sustained a light head injury during a shelling attack on the presidential palace, but government spokesmen insisted that the injury was not serious.  Saleh was in a mosque inside the palace compound when it was shaken by explosives as Friday prayers were beginning. The prime minister and six other senior government officials were also injured in the attack. | CNN; New York Times; Washington Post

Supporters of President Saleh staged a large rally outside of the presidential palace in Sana’a to express solidarity with the embattled leader, while anti-government protesters in a central square celebrated an attack on the presidential palace that injured the president.  | New York Times

The White House called for "calm and restraint" and said the dispute between pro- and anti-government forces "must be solved through negotiations." White House spokesman Tommy Vietor said, "We've seen the reports and are very concerned about violence in Yemen".  | CNN

JUNE 2

Intense clashes took place between tribesmen and government forces in Sana’a’s al-Hasada neighborhood, the stronghold of Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar and his followers. At least fifteen more casualties were reported in overnight fighting in Sana’a. Tribesmen associated with the Hashid federation, to which Sheikh al-Ahmar belongs, are attempting to breach security checkpoints around the city, in an effort to join the fighting. | The Telegraph; The Guardian

Sana’a Airport was shut down and incoming flights diverted as street battles intensified between state security forces and tribesmen loyal to al-Ahmar, just six miles south of the airport. Meanwhile, thousands of Yemenis continued fleeing the capital by car. | The Telegraph; The Guardian

President Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser, John Brennan, arrived in Saudi Arabia en route to the United Arab Emirates, and is reportedly seeking assistance from both countries to pressure President Ali Abdullah Saleh into stepping down. Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement urging the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resume mediating a resolution to the current crisis, saying that the escalation of violence “underscore[s] the need for President Saleh to sign the GCC-brokered transition proposal.” | Reuters

JUNE 1

Fierce fighting continued in Sana’a, where government troops battled tribesmen loyal to the family of Hamid al-Ahmar for control of key positions, including the Interior Ministry and state television headquarters. Tribal militants had occupied large sections of the Hasaba neighborhood, where numerous ministries and government compounds are located. At least 30 people were killed in overnight fighting.| New York Times

Government spokesman Tarek Shami claimed that efforts to mediate a truce in Sana’a broke down after members of the powerful Hashid tribal federation refused to negotiate with President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s representatives. Shami accused the tribesmen of “spread[ing] fear amongst the people” and “attack[ing] homes of civilians.”| CNN

A spokesman for the Hashid tribal federation said that Saleh was responsible for derailing tribal mediation efforts. “Saleh does not want peace. [He] thrives with blood being spilled. They attacked us and we had to defend,” the spokesman said.| CNN

MAY 31

Fighting between government forces and tribesmen loyal to the powerful Ahmar family resumed in Sana’a, following the breakdown of a ceasefire that lasted less than two days. Security forces attacked the family compound of Hamid al-Ahmar, one of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s most influential rivals, as tribesmen recaptured a government building they had vacated as part of the truce negotiated on May 29. | New York Times

In a violent crackdown that killed as many as 50 people in Taiz, security forces and plainclothes gunmen used live bullets, water cannons, and bulldozers to disperse thousands of protesters camped out in Horriya Square. | New York Times

Government warplanes bombarded militant positions in the southern coastal city of Zinjibar, a day after Islamists possibly affiliated with al-Qaeda seized control of local banks and a government compound. Following airstrikes, ground forces entered the city from three directions and used live bullets, tear gas, Molotov cocktails, and water cannons to disperse anti-government protesters, killing at least 20 people. | New York Times, Bloomberg

MAY 27

President Saleh has deployed helicopters and MiG fighter jets to attack bases controlled by tribesmen belonging to the powerful Hashid federation, led by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar. Fighting remains concentrated in the suburb of Nahem, northeast of the capital Sana’a.  Air strikes began after Hashid tribesmen attacked a Royal Republican Guard camp and took control of a key strategic checkpoint, known as al-Fardha, which is the main route of access from Sana’a to the eastern province of Marib. | Al-Jazeera, New York Times

Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar said that there is currently a truce between tribal fighters and security forces in Sana’a, but said his forces are prepared for the resumption of fighting if President Saleh does not yield to popular demands for his resignation. “If the Saleh regime wants a peaceful revolution, we are ready for that. If he chooses war, we will fight him,” al-Ahmar said. | Al Jazeera

President Saleh has been engaged in mediated talks with tribesmen loyal to Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar since the night of May 26, but tribesmen associated with Ahmar’s Hashid federation vowed to avenge the deaths of tribesmen killed in clashes with security forces.  A mediation attempt earlier this week broke down after a delegation of tribal negotiators came under fire soon after arriving at al-Ahmar’s compound. | New York Times

MAY 26

At least 28 more people were killed in Sana’a as street battles between security forces and tribesmen led by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar spread throughout the city. About 110 people have been killed in four days of clashes involving Yemen’s most powerful tribal federation, the Hashid. Tribesmen have laid siege to at least nine government ministries, prompting government troops to retaliate with mortars and shelling.| New York Times

Al-Ahmar urged the Gulf countries and other nations to renew pressure on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to step down. Al-Ahmar also accused Saleh of starting the clashes in Sana’a and offered a cease-fire if the president takes the first initiative to end attacks against tribal forces. He steadfastly refused to negotiate with the regime, calling Saleh a “liar” who “will leave this country barefoot.”| New York Times; New York Times

Saleh vowed that he will not step down or allow Yemen to become a "failed state" vulnerable to al-Qaeda, emphasizing that he does “not take orders from outside.” A statement read by his spokesman added, “I will not leave power and I will not leave Yemen." | New York Times

MAY 25

Fighting between security forces and opposition tribesmen led by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar intensified as clashes continued for a third straight day, leaving at least two dozen people dead and as many as 150 others wounded. Sana’a was transformed into a war zone as tribesmen set up checkpoints and impromptu blockades after taking over two ministries.  | New York Times

President Ali Abdullah Saleh accused the Ahmar tribe of seeking to instigate a civil war, as members of Yemen’s largest tribal federation clashed with security forces in the streets of Sana’a.  Warning of the potential for a political vacuum if he is removed from power, Saleh said, “I hope [Yemen] will not be a failed state or another Somalia.”  | New York Times

Speaking at a press conference in London, U.S. President Barack Obama expressed support for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered transition plan that Saleh rejected for a third time on May 22, urging that it “be implemented immediately.”   | New York Times

MAY 23

Police clashed violently with armed tribesmen led by Sheikh Sadeq al-Ahmar, leader of the powerful Hashid federation, after President Ali Abdullah Saleh backed out of a political transition deal negotiated by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Fighting escalated outside of al-Ahmar’s residence in Sana’a, where combatants fired machine guns and threw grenades.  | AFP

The GCC-brokered transition deal collapsed after Saleh again refused to sign it. As the deal fell through, pro-Saleh gunmen surrounded the UAE embassy in Sana’a, where GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani and ambassadors of the United States and several European countries were meeting, and blocked mediators from heading to the presidential palace. | The Guardian

The GCC formally withdrew its political transition initiative—which had called for Saleh’s resignation within 30 days in exchange for legal amnesty—after the president once again refused to sign the deal in Sana’a. In an official statement, GCC ministers announced that they had abandoned the initiative “for lack of appropriate circumstances for agreement.”| CNN

MAY 20

Hundreds of thousands of his protesters gathered in Sana’a’s al-Siteen Street to reiterate calls for President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s immediate resignation, following reports that the president has finally bowed to foreign diplomatic pressure to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered transition plan.  | AFP

In an effort to placate protesters calling for his resignation, Saleh called for an early presidential election to ensure an orderly democratic transition and “in order to avoid bloodshed.” Saleh made the announcement to a crowd of thousands of supporters in Sana’a, but did not specify how soon the expedited election would be held. | Al-Jazeera

Saleh’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Sufi, said that Saleh was ready to sign the long-delayed GCC transition plan at a ceremony set for May 22. A day earlier, the president backed out of the agreement, which would grant him legal immunity in exchange for his resignation within 30 days. According to the spokesman, Saleh had changed his mind in response to strong diplomatic pressure from Gulf and other countries.| Al-Jazeera

MAY 19

Protesters in Sana’a and other cities celebrated the breakdown of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered negotiations, which they feared would lead to an unacceptable political settlement granting legal amnesty to President Ali Abdullah Saleh. | Financial Times

The head of the JMP opposition bloc, Yassin Saeed Noman, blamed Saleh for the breakdown of Gulf-brokered negotiations over a political transition plan, saying that the president will do “everything” to remain in power. According to Noman, Saleh bears responsibility for derailing the GCC initiative by refusing to sign the deal.| AFP

After early indications that he was ready to sign a GCC-brokered transition plan, Saleh backed out of the deal at the last moment, saying that three of the five opposition representatives selected to sign the document were lower-level figures who could not be held accountable. Saleh had insisted that the head of the JMP opposition bloc be his counter-signatory, but the opposition rejected this format, saying it would give the president a pretext to renege on the deal later on by portraying the agreement as an understanding between the ruling and opposition parties, rather than as a commitment to step down. | Financial Times

MAY 18

The ruling General People’s Congress (GCP) Party and opposition representatives have reportedly reached a deal on the terms of a political transition that requires President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation with 30 days. According to diplomatic sources, Saleh has yielded to growing international pressure from U.S. and European officials in recent days to accept the agreement, which could be signed as early as May 18. | Financial Times

JMP opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan contradicted reports that Saleh has agreed to the terms of a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered transition plan, saying that the president backed out of the deal on the night of May 17 and is no longer willing to sign it.  According to Qahtan, negotiations broke down after the two sides disagreed on which opposition representative should sign the agreement. | AFP

Protesters forced the closure of several government offices in the cities of Taiz, Ibb, Aden, and al-Hodeidah. In recent days, protesters have besieged multiple government compounds, including regional offices of the education ministry and local council headquarters in the port city of al-Hodeidah.| Xinhua

MAY 17

The armed forces deployed tanks in the streets of Taiz and Aden in anticipation of planned marches on the local presidential palaces. In Aden, soldiers fired warning shots to discourage protesters from mobilizing.| Bloomberg

Opposition leaders are meeting to consider new modifications to the Gulf-brokered transition plan, as Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), U.S., and EU officials struggle to resurrect the deal. The modifications, proposed by the ruling General People’s Congress (GCP) Party, would allow the ruling party to appoint a unity government for the transition period until elections and would also change which opposition representative would sign the deal.| Reuters

In a recent speech to supporters at a pro-government rally in Sana’a, President Ali Abdullah Saleh urged the opposition to “stop playing with fire.” Saleh accused the JMP opposition bloc of instigating “acts of sabotage,” including attacks on security forces and government buildings.| Yemen News Agency

MAY 16

Thousands of protesters remained in the streets of Sana’a, as they continue to reject  the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-backed plan for political transition. Several of the protesters carried a makeshift coffin inscribed “GCC Initiative.” In the southern city of Taiz, protesters seized a government building, a police headquarters, and one of the offices of the ruling General People’s Congress (GCP) Party. | Bloomberg

GCC Secretary General Abdul-Latif al-Zayyani met separately with JMP opposition figures and representatives of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s government in an effort to revive the Gulf-sponsored transition plan, but JMP spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri said that  the initiative is “dead” in light of Saleh’s refusal to sign the agreement.| AP

Ruling party representatives who met with GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayyani reportedly requested that the timing of the political transition be linked to a resolution of the conflicts with Houthi rebels and southern separatists. Saleh’s representatives also asked that the president’s resignation be contingent on a halt to street protests.| Reuters

MAY 13

Yemen’s Defense Ministry warned that security forces will not “hesitate to take up arms to restore stability and deter lawless protesters from committing riots.” The statement came as foreign leaders have expressed growing concern about the escalation of Saleh’s crackdown on protesters. | Xinhua

Protesters clashed violently with security forces, resulting in at least two deaths in the tribal town of al-Bayda and another fatality in the southern city of Taiz. Scores of additional protesters were injured as they attempted to blockade government buildings and enforce a general strike. | Los Angeles Times

MAY 12

Qatar withdrew its backing from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered plan for a political transition in Yemen because of President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s refusal to sign the deal and concern for the “continued escalation” of the crackdown on protesters, according to the Qatari Foreign Ministry. Saleh had previously accused Qatar of funding Yemeni opposition groups.| Reuters

In a violent crackdown in Taiz, security forces used machine guns mounted on military vehicles to disperse protesters who had set up roadblocks in the city’s main street. Clashes broke out as protesters used megaphones to call in reinforcements. Dozens of people were wounded by gunfire in the incident.  | Al Jazeera

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayanim is scheduled to return to Sana’a on May in an effort to resuscitate stalled negotiations over the Gulf-brokered transition plan. Following the annual GCC summit in Riyadh, GCC leaders said that the terms of a Gulf-brokered plan requiring President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation within 30 days have not changed, “but we have intensified efforts” to conclude the deal. | Arab News; Al Jazeera

The JMP opposition bloc issued a statement condemning the international community’s tacit tolerance of Saleh’s violent crackdown. According to the statement, the international community’s silence in the early days of protests “gave [Saleh] a green light to continue in a more brutal way.”| Al Jazeera

MAY 11

Demonstrations in Sana’a spread from the central square near Sana’a University, which has been the center of unrest, to another major downtown street. Meanwhile, Tawakul Karman, a senior member of the major opposition party, Islah, said that protesters are making plans to march on the presidential palace in Sana’a and other government buildings in an effort to force President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power.| Washington Post

Security forces killed two protesters and wounded dozens more in Taiz, as they tried to used bullets, tear gas, and bats to disperse a protest blockade outside of the Education Ministry. Protesters retaliated by torching a police station and taking over an oil ministry building. Businesses and schools throughout the city have been shut down in a sweeping campaign of civil disobedience, as protesters continue to call for Saleh’s resignation.| Reuters, Washington Post

Following the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh on May 10, GCC leaders issued a joint statement calling on Saleh and the opposition to sign a plan for political transition. “The council urged all parties in Yemen to sign the agreement, which is the best way out of the crisis, and spare the country further political division and deterioration of security,” the statement said. | AFP

MAY 10

Yemen’s political crisis is expected to dominate the agenda at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s annual consultative meeting in Riyadh. GCC officials were expected to discuss the stalemate between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the opposition, amid hopes that the summit could revive a GCC-brokered plan for political transition that would require Saleh to step down within a month. | Al-Arabiya

Police opened fire on a crowd of anti-government protesters in the western port city of al-Hodeidah, killing at least 20 people. The crackdown followed a large sit-in staged by students at al-Hodeidah University and was forcibly dispersed by police, who stormed the campus late on May 9. Ten students were injured in the incident.| AP

A tribal official claimed that Yemeni fighter jets are bombarding mountain villages north of Sana’a, after members of the anti-government Mehem tribe ambushed forces loyal to Saleh. Four tribesmen were killed and several houses were destroyed in the bombing campaign.| AP

MAY 9

Yemeni security forces opened fire on protesters and launched rocket-propelled grenades at an office building in the southern city of Taiz, in a crackdown that killed at least three people. Meanwhile, three protesters were killed in the northern town of Saidiya after police fired on a demonstration against President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Committee of the Popular Youth Revolution, a coalition representing protesters, issued a statement opposing the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered deal for a political transition, which was modified last week to allow Saleh to sign as leader of the ruling General People’s Congress (GCP) Party rather than as president. | Al-Jazeera; AP; AP

After giving Saleh a two-day deadline to sign the GCC-brokered transition plan, the JMP opposition bloc demanded the implementation of the original agreement, without a modification introduced last week that permits the president to sign in his capacity as GPC Party leader rather than as president. | Asharq al-Awsat

MAY 8

The JMP opposition bloc has given Saleh a two-day deadline to sign the GCC-brokered transition plan that would require his resignation within a month. Referring to the government’s violent crackdown on protesters, JMP spokesman Mohammed Qahtan urged “brotherly countries to withhold any official contacts with what remains of this bloody regime and to refrain from offering any material or moral support which it would use to suppress the people." | Reuters; Xinhua

MAY 6

Massive demonstrations against President Ali Abdullah Saleh took place in Sana’a, Taif, and other cities after Friday prayers on May 6. In Sana’a, protesters continued to call for Saleh’s prosecution despite the terms of a stalled Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) proposal that would grant the president legal immunity in exchange for his resignation. Meanwhile, Saleh told a rally of supporters in Sana’a that he would continue to resist calls for his resignation and described street protesters as “saboteurs” and “outlaws.” |  AFP; Al Jazeera; DPA

GCC spokesman Ahmed Khalifa al-KaabI announced that GCC foreign ministers would reconvene in Riyadh on May 8 to try to find a way to salvage the stalled negotiations between President Saleh and the opposition.  | Al Jazeera

MAY 5

On May 5, the GCC proposed revisions to its plan requiring President Saleh to resign within 30 days.  After Saleh refused to sign the deal earlier in the week, GCC mediators suggested that fifteen members of the ruling party and the opposition sign the deal in Sana’a, as opposed to only Saleh and the head of the JMP opposition bloc. Both Saleh and the JMP promptly rejected the revised plan. Saleh insisted that he will not sign the agreement until after ruling party and opposition representatives have signed it, while opposition leader Sultan Atwani said that Saleh’s terms were unacceptable to his coalition. | Reuters

Protest organizers called for continued demonstrations and acts of civil disobedience “until the demands of the revolution are achieved.” Hundreds of thousands of protesters remained in the streets of Sana’a, Aden, Taiz, Hodeidah, and other cities, where they are demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s resignation. A number of protesters also condemned the Yemeni government’s alleged aerial bombardment of tribal militants who had seized control of a Republican Guard base in the southern province of Lahij earlier this week.  | Al-Jazeera; Aden News

JMP opposition spokesman Mohammed Qahtan urged Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) mediators “to take all necessary measures to force [President Saleh] to sign the agreement.” Qahtan said that opposition representatives are “ready to sign anytime,” but accused Saleh of derailing the negotiations by withholding his signature.  | AFP

A suspected U.S. missile strike in the southern province of Shabwa killed two mid-level al-Qaeda leaders early on May 5, according to Yemen’s Defense Ministry. Although U.S. officials have not confirmed the strike, eyewitnesses attributed the explosion to an unmanned drone. The United States has conducted similar air strikes in the area in recent years. The two al-Qaeda figures, brothers Abdullah and Musaad Mubarak al-Harad, were driving between two rural towns when their vehicle exploded. | Financial Times

MAY 4

Large-scale demonstrations continued outside of Sana’a University, where the chief JMP negotiator, Mohamed Salem Basandoua, told the crowd that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered plan “does not ban sit-ins and demonstrations.” | AFP

GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani was expected to arrive in Sana’a on May 2 to restart negotiations between President Ali Abdullah Saleh and the JMP opposition bloc, but called off the visit after he did not receive an anticipated “signal” from the embattled president. | AFP

An anonymous al-Qaeda representative vowed that the organization’s Yemeni branch, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), would avenge the assassination of Osama bin Laden.  The source warned an AFP reporter, “The martyrdom of our sheikh [bin Laden] does not mean the end of jihad, because he has prepared a thousand lions just like him.” | AFP 

MAY 3

Street demonstrations intensified in Sana’a, Aden, and other cities as protesters expressed frustration with President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s refusal to sign a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered deal to end Yemen’s political crisis. Meanwhile, a large number of protesters continued to reject the terms of the GCC plan, which would grant Saleh immunity from prosecution in exchange for his resignation within 30 days. In the central city of Bayda, thousands of protesters demanded that Saleh be tried and condemned the GCC-brokered deal. | CP

MAY 2

A spokesman for the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) Party denied reports that Saleh had refused to back a GCC-brokered deal to resolve Yemen’s political crisis. The spokesman, Tariq al-Shami, insisted that “the president and the GPC and its allies have accepted the initiative.”  | UPI

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) appears to have staged several retaliatory attacks on Yemeni targets in response to news of Osama Bin Laden’s death. Sana’a was engulfed in a blackout just a few hours after the assassination was reported, when militants allegedly severed cables linking a Marib power station with Sana’a and other cities. In a second retaliatory incident, AQAP militants attacked a police patrol station in the town of Zabid, west of Sana’a, killing one policeman and wounding two others. | Yemen Observer

A Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-brokered agreement to end Yemen’s political crisis stalled on May 1 as JMP opposition representatives condemned continued violence against protesters and President Ali Abdullah Saleh said he would send a representative to sign the deal instead of personally attending a signing ceremony expected to take place in Riyadh this week.  | New York Times 

GCC Secretary General Abdul Latif al-Zayani has returned to Sana’a in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations between President Saleh and JMP opposition representatives. After the GCC announced that the official signing ceremony had been put on hold indefinitely, President Saleh indicated that he might be willing to sign the agreement in his capacity as leader of the ruling GPC party, but not as Yemen’s president. JMP opposition representatives insisted that they will not sign the agreement unless Saleh does so as well.  | AFP, Al-Jazeera

Following the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s death, activists urged street protesters not to raise banners supporting the former al-Qaeda leader to avoid provoking a further crackdown by state security forces. President Saleh’s government has cooperated closely with the United States in counterterrorism operations targeting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).| Reuters