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Map by Evan Centanni and Djordje Djukic, from base map by Koen Adams of onestopmap.com.
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Timeline by Djordje Djukic, with additional reporting by Evan Centanni
Yemen's New Truce: Who Controls What?
Since our previous Yemen control map report of three months ago, forces of
Yemen's unrecognized, Iran-backed Houthi government have rolled back
their rivals' recent gains, but still haven't been able to move on the
central city of Marib. Amid this stalemate, a surprise UN-brokered truce, alongside the resignation of the country's weak internationally-recognized president, has opened up new possibilities for an end to the war.
Country Name: • Yemen (English) • Al-Yaman (Arabic) Official Name: • Republic of Yemen (English) • al-JumhĊĞriyyah al-Yamaniyyah (Arabic) Capital: • Sana'a (constitutional; seat of Houthi govt.) • Aden (temporary capital of internationally-recognized unity government) |
Yemen War: Timeline of Events
The following is a timeline of changes to territorial control and other major events in Yemen since PolGeoNow's previous Yemen control map report of January 28, 2022.January 24-26, 2022
Forces loyal to the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi captured one area in Harib district of Marib province, and two in Abdiyah district just to its south, from Houthi fighters.
January 27, 2022
The Houthis advanced south of Bayhan in Shabwa province.
January 28, 2022
It was announced that the pro-Hadi Giant Brigades militia (also known as al-Amaliqa) had ended its offensive in the west of Shabwa and south of Marib and was recalling five brigades to Ataq city. However, according to other reports, only a small contingent was redeployed. Meanwhile, the Houthis claimed to have killed or wounded at least 40 al-Amaliqa fighters in a missile attack on an area of Usaylan district. Elsewhere, the Houthis seized a mountaintop west of Marib city.
January 29, 2022
Houthi forces recaptured two towns northwest of Harib that they had recently lost to Hadi loyalists, as well as three mountaintops and a nearby military camp in the northeast of Sa’dah province. Overall, they seized more than 160 square kilometers (60 square miles) of territory in Sa’dah.
January 30, 2022
Pro-Hadi forces once again recaptured the two towns northwest of Harib that they lost to the Houthis the previous day, while also seizing a third town. Meanwhile, the United Nations reported that 1,968 children, ranging from 10 to 17 years old, had been killed while fighting for the Houthis as soldiers in 2020 and 2021.
February 1, 2022
It was reported that further Hadi loyalist advances in the Harib area were halted by Houthi forces.
February 4, 2022
A Houthi counterattack recaptured a mountaintop southeast of Balaq al-Sharqi that they lost to pro-Hadi forces in mid-January.
February 4-12, 2022
Pro-Hadi forces launched an offensive towards Harad town, in northwestern Yemen’s Hajjah province, capturing five areas and cutting off the Houthis’ logistical supply lines to the town. The areas seized included a military camp, a village, and strategic mountaintops overlooking the town. Harad's strategic significance lies in its close proximity to the largest border crossing between Yemen and Saudi Arabia. On February 6, Hadi loyalist forces entered Harad from the west and south, capturing the southern part of the town by the following day. However, the Houthis soon launched a counterattack, recapturing two areas outside of Harad that they lost, as well as parts of a third.
By February 8, due to heavy Houthi resistance, Hadi loyalists were forced to withdraw from most of Harad. By this point, 32 loyalist soldiers had been killed and at least 100 wounded since the start of their offensive. According to a pro-Hadi source, 56 Houthis also died in the fighting. On February 9, Hadi loyalists opened a new front and seized a mountaintop east of Harad, while a Houthi counterattack recaptured all of the remaining territory they had previously lost southeast of the town, breaking the pro-Hadi siege. The next day, the loyalists once again seized the military camp southeast of Harad that the Houthis had managed to recapture, while fighting continued in the south of the town as pro-Hadi forces abandoned some positions.
On February 11, Hadi loyalists were in control of three more nearby villages near the military camp, while they also seized a village northeast of Harad, thus once again surrounding the town. However, later on, the Houthis were again in control of the military camp following a counterattack. Finally, on February 12, a large Houthi counterattack along several axes managed to recapture all of the villages and mountaintops that had been seized by the Hadi loyalists, pushing them back from Harad and permanently breaking the siege of the town. More than 60 Hadi loyalists were reported killed and 140 wounded in the fighting in the western and southern neighborhoods of Harad.
February 6-11, 2022
Pro-Hadi forces captured several heights and villages in the west of Taiz province. However, following a Houthi counterattack, they were pushed back.
February 10, 2022
Twelve people were injured at the airport in Abha, Saudi Arabia by shrapnel from an explosive-laden Houthi drone that was shot down by Saudi air defenses.
February 11, 2022
Unknown gunmen abducted five United Nations staff members in southern Yemen’s Abyan province. Meanwhile, US-based charity organization Save the Children concluded that 215 civilians had been killed and 384 injured in the Yemen conflict between January 6 and February 2, the highest monthly casualty toll since 2018.
February 13, 2022
The Saudi-led coalition reportedly conducted airstrikes in Sana’a against a Houthi telecommunications system used to control drones.
February 15, 2022
A Houthi attack in Dhale province north of Aden was repelled, with 10 total combatants killed and 14 wounded.
February 16, 2022
The Houthis captured four villages south of Harad, as well as a mountaintop northeast of the town. Houthi control was further confirmed over a large area to the north along the border with Saudi Arabia.
February 17-18, 2022
Pro-Hadi military sources claimed that 156 Houthis were killed in renewed clashes in the area of Harad and in a nearby second district of Hajjah province.
February 19-20, 2022
Fourteen Hadi loyalist soldiers were killed in a missile strike in Shabwa province and a landmine explosion in Sa’dah province.
February 20-22, 2022
The Houthis captured a military camp north of Yatmah, in northern Yemen’s Jawf province, as well as many parts of the surrounding area, including a mountaintop.
February 21, 2022
A Houthi drone strike on the King Abdullah Airport in the Saudi city of Jazan injured 16 people of varying nationalities.
February 23-March 15, 2022
The Houthis advanced west of Harad, entering Maydee district and securing 11 kilometers (7 miles) of the border area by March 13. During their advance, they reportedly took control of Hathirah village just across the border inside Saudi Arabia. The Houthis also advanced northeast of Harad, capturing some positions overlooking a military camp. They continued to gain ground on March 15, seizing three villages and reaching a fourth one 15 kilometers (9 miles) east of Maydee. Overall, the Houthis captured 54 square kilometers (21 square miles) of territory.
March 2, 2022
A Houthi missile strike on a military camp in Maydee left nine or ten Sudanese soldiers dead and between 25 and 30 injured. Sudan is a member of the Saudi coalition supporting Yemen’s Hadi government.
March 8, 2022
The Houthis seized two areas southwest of Balaq al-Sharqi, near Marib city.
March 16, 2022
Houthi forces captured nine or ten villages south of Hayran, in the northwest, totaling an area of 26 square kilometers (10 square miles).
March 25-26, 2022
Houthi rocket and drone strikes hit an oil depot belonging to Saudi Arabia’s Aramco national petroleum company in the city of Jeddah, far to the north along the country’s Red Sea coast (not shown on map). The Houthis also claimed attacks on two other facilities in western and eastern Saudi Arabia. In retaliation, the Saudi-led coalition conducted airstrikes on Sana’a and Hodeida, killing at least seven people. Subsequently, the Houthis announced a three-day ceasefire.
March 29, 2022
The Saudi-led coalition announced its own unilateral ceasefire.
April 1, 2022
An agreement was reached between the warring sides for a two-month “truce” - officially described as less comprehensive than a formal ceasefire, but still referred to as a "ceasefire" in various news media. The surprise, UN-brokered deal promised to allow a limited number of fuel shipments into the blockaded, Houthi-occupied port of Hodeida, as well as the resumption of commercial flights to and from the Houthi-controlled Sana’a airport (initially with connections only to Egypt and Jordan).
April 7-8, 2022
The Saudi-backed and internationally-recognized President of Yemen, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, dismissed his vice-president and then resigned from his own post, transferring power to an eight-man presidential council reportedly formed at talks in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh (not shown on map). The move was seen as an attempt to unify the various anti-Houthi groups, with the council made up of equal numbers of northern and southern representatives, including the head of the separatist Southern Transitional Council. Hadi was widely assumed to have agreed to step down only under Saudi pressure.
Although the head of the new council, former Interior Minister Rashad al-Alimi, announced that he would end the war through a peace process, the Houthis denounced the formation of the council as a farce, calling it a “desperate attempt to restructure the ranks of mercenaries to push them towards further escalation”. Some anti-Houthi figures also called for the new alliance to be leveraged for a military advantage rather than a peace deal.
Just hours after Hadi handed over his power to the new council, Saudi Arabia and the UAE announced a $3 billion economic aid package for Yemen.
April 11, 2022
The UN special envoy for Yemen arrived in Sana’a for talks with the Houthis on implementing and strengthening the two-month ceasefire.
Following this conflict? Check for updates to our map by viewing all Yemen reports on PolGeoNow.
Graphic of Yemeni flag is in the public domain (source).