Abdul-Hafez al-Saqqaf

Abdul-Hafez al-Saqqaf is a Yemeni military officer. A general in Yemen's Special Security Forces, al-Saqqaf achieved notoriety when he defied President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi's decree to step down in March 2015, amid the aftermath of a coup d'état that split Yemen's government and military and saw Hadi establish a provisional seat of government in Aden.

Al-Saqqaf held the title of SSF Commander in Aden.[1] On 3 March 2015, Hadi issued a decree nominating Thabet Muthanna Yahya Naji Jawas to the position and reassigning al-Saqqaf as undersecretary of the Vital Status and Civil Registration Authority in Aden. Al-Saqqaf and his supporters rejected the decree, even after Hadi withdrew Jawas' nomination in favour of Adlan Saleh Al-Hattas.[2][3] The Yemen Times reported that al-Saqqaf did not view Hadi as the legitimate president, and that Hadi considered al-Saqqaf to be loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh and the Houthis.[1] Al-Saqqaf accused Hadi of wanting to give al Qaeda control over Aden.[4]

On 19 March, troops loyal to Saleh and commanded by al-Saqqaf stormed Aden International Airport, sparking a battle with police, militiamen, and soldiers loyal to Hadi and commanded by Major General Mahmoud al-Subaihi.[5] Al-Saqqaf and his forces reportedly surrendered after government troops overran the SSF base in Aden.[6][7] The following night, al-Saqqaf was reportedly in a convoy fleeing Aden toward Sana'a when gunmen attempted to assassinate him on a road in the Lahij Governorate. According to Agence France-Presse, four were killed in the ambush, including one of al-Saqqaf's bodyguards, but the general survived.[8]

References
  1. Al-Moshki, Ali Ibrahim (11 March 2015). "TENSIONS REMAIN HIGH IN ADEN OVER SSF POSITION". The Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  2. Al-Moshki, Ali Ibrahim (9 March 2015). "STANDOFF CONTINUES OVER POSITION OF SSF COMMANDER IN ADEN". The Yemen Times. Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  3. "Yemen: Jet strikes palace grounds in deposed President's stronghold". CNN. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  4. "Militants exploit rifts within armed forces to control areas of Yemen". Middle East Eye. 21 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  5. Onyanga-Omara, Jane (19 March 2015). "Clashes force closure of Yemen's Aden airport". USA TODAY. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  6. "Amid intense gun battle, warplanes fire on Yemen's presidential palace". MassLive. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  7. Mukhashaf, Mohammed (19 March 2015). "Plane attacks Hadi's Aden base as Yemen conflict worsens". Reuters. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  8. "Anti-Hadi officer escapes Yemen assassination: security". 20 March 2015. Retrieved 31 March 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.