The Battle of Sanaa 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 Sanaa and, on the part of the opposition, for the purpose of the downfall of president Saleh.
Background
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.
On 23 April, Saleh accepted a proposal to step down and shift control to his deputy after thirty days. The agreement included immunity for him and his family and further required the opposition to stop public protests and join a coalition with Saleh's ruling party. Reactions to Saleh's acceptance had been reserved, without the agreement formalized or accepted by both sides and with the possibility of the stand-off continuing. After initially refusing to accept Saleh's conditions, the opposition decided to agree to the deal, and it was expected to go into effect by 2 May. However, Saleh decided not to sign the deal, and the opposition has rejected a proposal under which top officials of his party would sign it as a proxy, leaving the deal in limbo. On 22 May, after Saleh had agreed to the deal only to back away hours before the scheduled signing for the third time, the Gulf Cooperation Council declared it was suspending its efforts to mediate in Yemen.
Battle
First phase
A day after Saleh refused to sign the transition agreement, Sheikh Sadiq al-Ahmar, the head of the Hashid tribal federation, one of the most powerful tribes in the country, declared support for the opposition and his armed supporters came into conflict with loyalist security forces in the capital Sana'a. Heavy street fighting ensued, which included artillery and mortar shelling. The militiamen had surrounded and blocked off several government buildings in the capital and people on the ground were reporting that it looked like the situation was deteriorating into a civil war.
During the second day of fighting, loyalist forces heavily shelled with mortars al-Ahmar's compound in which a number of his fighters were killed or wounded. This resulted in a counter-attack by the militiamen against the Interior Ministry building which they hit with mortars, RPGs and machine-gun fire. As evening fell on 24 May, the upper floors of the Interior Ministry headquarters were in flames.
On day three of the fighting, military units that defected to the opposition were hit for the first time by mortar fire killing three soldiers and wounding 10. By the evening, it was reported that tribesmen took control of the Interior Ministry building, SABA state news agency, and the national airline building.