Battle of Sana'a (2011)

Battle of Sana'a
Part of the Yemeni Revolution
Sana'a, city center
Date 23 May–7 June 2011 (2 weeks and 1 day) (First phase) 18 September–25 November 2011 (2 months and 1 week) (Second phase) Location Sana'a, Yemen Result Indecisive
Belligerents
Yemeni government Yemen Army Republican Guards Yemeni Air Force Police Force People's Committees	Joint Meeting Parties Alliance of Yemeni Tribes Army defectors Al-Islah militia Anti-government protesters
Commanders and leaders
Ali Abdullah Saleh (injured) Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-Hadi Gen. Ahmad Saleh Gen. Ahmed bin Saeed Gen. Ali Nasser Gatami  † Gen. Abdullah al-Kulaibi  †	Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar Gen. Mohammed Khalil Gen. Ibrahim al-Jayfi
Strength
26th Brigade 63rd Brigade 101st Brigade Special Forces Brigade Presidential Guard	25,000–30,000 fighters 1st Armored Division 9th Brigade 200,000 protesters
Casualties and losses
97 soldiers killed 20 soldiers missing 30 soldiers captured 1 policeman killed	258 tribal fighters killed 98 defected soldiers killed
149+ civilians killed 16 unidentified killed

Yemeni government

Joint Meeting Parties

The Battle of Sana'a was a battle during the 2011 Yemeni uprising between forces loyal to Yemeni leader Ali Abdullah Saleh and opposition tribal forces led by Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar for control of the Yemeni capital Sana'a and, on the part of the opposition, for the purpose of the downfall of president Saleh.

The 2011 Yemeni uprising followed the initial stages of the Tunisian Revolution and occurred simultaneously with the Egyptian Revolution and other mass protests in the Middle East in early 2011. In the early phase, protests in Yemen were initially against unemployment, economic conditions and corruption, and the poor economy of Yemen. as well as against the government's proposals to modify Yemen's constitution. The protestors' demands then escalated to calls for Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to resign. Mass defections from the military, as well as from Saleh's government, had effectively rendered much of the country outside of the government's control, and protesters vowed to defy its authority.

A major demonstration of over 16,000 protestors took place in Sana'a, Yemen's capital, on 27 January, including at least 10,000 at Sana'a University. On 2 February, Saleh announced he would not run for reelection in 2013 and that he would not pass power to his son. On 3 February, 20,000 people protested against the government in Sana'a, while others protested in Aden, a southern Yemeni seaport city, in a "Day of Rage" called for by Tawakel Karman, while soldiers, armed members of the General People's Congress and many protestors held a pro-government rally in Sana'a. In a "Friday of Anger" on 18 February, tens of thousands of Yemenis took part in anti-government demonstrations in Taiz, Sana'a and Aden. On a "Friday of No Return" on 11 March, protestors called for Saleh's ousting in Sana'a where three people were killed. More protests were held in other cities, including Mukalla, where one person was killed. On 18 March, protesters in Sana'a were fired upon resulting in over forty deaths and ultimately culminating in mass defections and resignations.

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Wikipedia