SUMMARY

Ansarallah, a Zaydi revivalist movement, had been formed in 1992 in part due to the state-sponsored Salafi infiltration of the Zaydi heartland in Yemen’s northwestern highlands, in particular in Sa‘dah governorate. Since 2004 it had been involved in several rounds of fighting with the government, which often recruited Salafis from the northern governorates to fight Ansarallah. AQAP members have reportedly been among the recruited Salafi fighters. AQAP (al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula), which was formed in 2009, regularly criticized Ansarallah’s religious beliefs and customs as ‘rafida’ (rejectionists), a common derogatory term used by Sunni extremists for Shiites.

Although the relations between AQAP and Ansarallah always had been frosty, the two groups had not had any direct confrontation prior to November 2010. Both groups have been involved in their own conflicts with the government and been active mainly in different parts of the country. The relations between the two groups deteriorated further in 2010 when AQAP carried out two suicide bombings targeting members and supporters of Ansarallah in northern Yemen. AQAP said that the attacks were part of a larger strategy to defend their Sunni brothers against the Shia danger in northern Yemen. Some analysts have suggested that the bombings were carried out in revenge for Ansarallah’s earlier abduction of AQAP members. The captured AQAP members had then been handed over by Ansarallah to the government.

Only sporadic attacks occurred in the next several years, as both groups were geographically distant. This changed in September 2014, when Ansarallah captured much of the capital Sanaa before signing an agreement with the government to provide Ansarallah more political sway. The battle for the capital resulted in the government being practically held hostage by Ansarallah, as they were left in control of little more than the presidential palace and parliament, allowing Ansarallah to expand its area of control with little resistance. Heavy fighting with AQAP erupted in October as Ansarallah entered Bayda governorate, killing hundreds. By late November fighting died down with Ansarallah in control of most of the governorate.

In January 2015, Ansarallah ousted the government and took full control of the capital, thus becoming the Government of Yemen. Fighting between Ansarallah and AQAP beyond this point is thus part of the Yemen: Government conflict.

The non-state conflict between AQAP and Ansarallah was first included in UCDP data in 2010. In late November of that year, AQAP carried out two suicide bombings against members of Ansarallah, resulting in over 25 battle-related deaths.