Houthis Close to Within 60 Kilometers of Aden as Forces Redeploy

Key Facts

The Houthis reached the al-Kharaz camp in al-Mudhariba district, 60 kilometers from Aden, the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, according to military and government sources cited by Agence France-Presse on November 15. The sources said the group had taken control of the districts of al-Maqatirah and al-Mudhariba and was advancing toward the city. The development puts government forces under pressure near their seat of power as southern forces shift their deployment on the western coast front. The sources said a Houthi missile attack on a checkpoint in neighboring Lahj governorate killed 8 people and wounded 12. The attack coincided with the start of building sandbag barricades and digging tunnels around Aden, according to military officials cited by AFP.

Southern forces announced they were redeploying from Dhubab military airport and the Bab al-Mandab area to strengthen the defense of Aden and neighboring southern governorates. The South24 Center cited a military source as saying the forces had moved to al-Suqya in Lahj governorate, adjacent to the Bab al-Mandab front, after leaving their positions at Dhubab airport. Reuters reported that al-Suqya lies south of Dhubab and 150 kilometers west of Aden, and that government forces were still trying to push the Houthis away from nearby coastal areas. Southern forces said the redeployment did not mean military operations were over. They said they would continue efforts to break the siege of Taiz, while telling the channel that securing Aden and trying to lift the siege would be among their priorities. The statements describe the forces’ declared priorities after relocating their positions, as the Houthi advance south continues.

The main road linking Aden and Taiz passes through al-Maqatirah, which the Houthis have taken control of, according to AFP. The agency says Taiz has been under a Houthi siege for weeks, making control of the area relevant to overland access between the two cities and to the efforts to break the siege announced by southern forces. In a related development, the Houthis released 600 members of government forces who had been detained since fighting resumed in July, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross, as cited by AFP. Their release comes amid continuing clashes and expanding military movements around Aden and Lahj. The developments show two parallel tracks in the crisis: shifting control of areas and roads, and announced steps concerning detainees.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warned that clashes in Lahj were hampering its efforts to provide protection and assistance to about 9,600 refugees, according to the Associated Press. The United Nations estimated that more than 1,600 people had been killed and more than 300,000 displaced since fighting resumed in Yemen, according to AFP. In an update issued in November, Islamic Relief said fighting on the western coast had escalated since June and intensified in September, and that more than 299,000 people had been displaced between August 1 and November 2, mostly in Taiz, Lahj and Aden. The organization also warned that disruption to navigation in Bab al-Mandab had raised import costs and contributed to higher food and fuel prices in Yemen. These figures link the escalation of fighting in the southern and western governorates with growing humanitarian needs and pressure on supplies.

The withdrawal from positions near Bab al-Mandab marks a shift from a six-week government counteroffensive to retake the coast near the entrance to the Red Sea, after the Houthis took control of the coast in September, Reuters reported. The Associated Press reported on October 5 that government-aligned forces had recaptured the towns of Dhubab, Bab and Hudaydah near the strait in an offensive backed by air power from the Saudi-led coalition. Reuters said the forces had repositioned in al-Suqya but were still trying to drive the Houthis from neighboring coastal areas. On the evening of November 15, an AP journalist reported hearing explosions in Aden, while local media reported that the Houthis had fired two ballistic missiles at the al-Burayqah district on the city’s western coast. The next steps announced by southern forces remain securing Aden and continuing efforts to break the siege of Taiz.