A suicide bomber managed to infiltrate arehearsal for the 21
May Unity Day parade in Sab'in Square in Sana'a two days before the event and
blew himself up. He killed at least 100 soldiers and wounded up to 350 others.
Both Al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and
Ansar al-Shariah claimed responsibility for the attack, which
they said was in retaliation for the escalation in military action (which it
described as American-led) against Ansar in Abyan.
There are conflicting reports about what happened and whether
or not other suicide bombers may have tried and failed to attack the soldiers.
AQAP says that the main target was the minister of defence but eye-witnesses
noted that the bomber inserted himself into a group of soldiers some 500 metres
from where the minister was standing. There were reports before the event that
Yemeni security forces were looking for suicide bombers and reports since of the
arrest of other bombers who failed to get into the parade rehearsal. Most of
those killed or wounded appear to belong to the Central Security Organisation
(CSO). Many of the injured have been flow abroad for treatment.
The parade went ahead, though it was switched to the more
secure location of the Aviation Academy, in an area controlled by General
Ali Mohsen 's First Armoured Division. The
number of participants was greatly reduced, with most soldiers excluded.
President Abd al-Rab Mansour Hadi ,
accompanied by his ministers and political, security and military leaders (from
different persuasions and loyalties) attended in a gesture of solidarity and
defiance. Security was in the hands of the Political Security Organisation,
instead of the CSO. The chief of staff, General Ahmad al-Ashwal
, said that the parade was a “response to the terrorists' savage
suicide bombing in Al-Saba'in that was aimed at stopping the unity
celebrations”. He added that it would not stop the war against AQAP and Ansar in
Abyan.
Initial reports said that the bomber was Amir al- Din
al-Warfi from Ibb, who had spent a period in prison for his links to
Al-Qa'ida. This was quickly corrected after AQAP put out a statement naming the
bomber as Haytham Hamed Hussein Mafurrah , who may have been a
member of the CSO.
T here can have been few such devastating attacks by a single
bomber. It says much about Yemen that such an attack could take place – and that
it has not deflected the government, the international community or most Yemenis
from pressing on with all parts of the transition process. It was a singular
success for AQAP and it no doubt had in mind the symbolic importance of Unity
Day in the eyes of south Yemenis. On the other hand, it has led to a new
determination by Hadi and his international allies to eliminate AQAP and defeat
Ansar al- Shariah. AQAP will no doubt plan further attacks – as it has done in
Iraq and Afghanistan in not dissimilar circumstances. Yemeni security forces
have strengthened checkpoints around Sana'a.
For more news and expert analysis about Yemen, please see Yemen Focus.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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