The siege of Dammaj began in October 2011 when the Houthis, a rebel group which controls the Saada Governorate, accused Salafis loyal to the Yemeni government of smuggling weapons into their religious center in the town of Dammaj and demanded they hand over their weapons and military posts in the town.Yemen Times Sectarian conflict looms in Sa’ada , October 30, 2011 As the Salafis refused, Houthi rebels responded by imposing a siege on Dammaj, closing the main entrances leading to the town.Yemen Post Clashes in Sa’ada Between Houthis and Salafis, November 5, 2011 The town was controlled by the Houthis and the fighting was mainly centered at Dar al-Hadith religious school, which was operated by Salafis.YEMEN: Children at risk as aid access denied, December 6, 2011
In December 2011, a tribal ceasefire was first signed in which both sides temporarily agreed to the removal of all their military checkpoints and barriers around Dammaj. Neutral armed men from the Hashid and Bakil tribes were deployed around the town to ensure both sides adhere to the ceasefire. However, fighting erupted again in October 2013 when Houthis shelled a Salafi mosque and the adjacent Quranic religious school Dar al-Hadith, anticipating an attack from Salafi fighters who had gathered in Dammaj. Houthi rebels later advanced and captured many positions evacuated by the outgunned Salafi fighters and subsequently demolished the symbolic Dar al-Hadith religious school after months of fighting.
The second ceasefire was brokered by the Yemeni government under President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in January 2014. Yemeni troops were deployed to Dammaj and evacuated all Salafi fighters and their families, as well as foreign students to the neighboring governorates, thereby handing over victory to the Houthis.
Media and analysts described the fighting in Dammaj as a sectarian conflict that may have worsened Sunni-Shia relations in Yemen. Other observers believe that the Dammaj siege was representative of a regional contest between Saudi Arabia, who traditionally supported the Salafis, and Iran who backed the Houthi movement.
Background
Salafi establishment in Yemen The roots of the sectarian conflict in Yemen can be arguably connected to Saudi Arabia's systematic proselytization of Salafism, a puritanical form of Islam, inside Yemen. Such effect of this proselytizing has somewhat caused resistance from Zaydi Shia demographics who perceive it as a threat to their existence.
Imam Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i, a Yemeni student of the Islamic University of Medina in Saudi Arabia, founded the Dar al-Hadith institution at Dammaj in 1979, located in the heart of Saada governorate which would later be the stronghold of the Houthi movement. Dammaj would later be turned into a site for thousands of students from across the world who sought to study Salafism in its purest form.
As the religious school targeted Zaydi adherents and converted them to Salafism, such Saudi and Yemeni government policy arguably led to a Zaydi revivalist movement at 1980s in response to rising Salafi hegemony which challenges the traditional Zaydi heartlands in northern regions of Yemen.
Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i rejected Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. The Salafis from Dammaj and its Dar al-Hadith imam, Sheikh Yahya al-Hajuri, claimed that they were completely against al-Qaeda and all that it stands for.Tuhfah Al-Mujeeb, from the chapter "Who’s Behind the Bombings in the Two Sanctuaries (Mecca & Medina)?", 1996
Houthi rise in Saada
During the Houthi insurgency between 2004 and 2010, the Yemeni government, led by President Ali Abdullah Saleh, recruited over 5,000 Salafi fighters to fight alongside them.Regime and Periphery in Northern Yemen: The Huthi Phenomenon, September 17, 2010 At least 69 students from Dar al-Hadith were killed during Operation Scorched Earth while fighting on the government's side.
When mass protests against Ali Abdullah Saleh began in January 2011, the Houthis joined the uprising. The group of Salafis in Dar al-Hadith however denounced the protests, siding with the government instead. In response to the "Karama Massacre" incident at the capital Sanaa, which prompted a flood of army and government defections nationwide, the Houthis took the opportunity to seize control of Saada in March 2011.Arab News Yemeni regime loses grip on four provinces , March 28, 2011 They appointed former Saleh loyalist and arms dealer Fares Manaa as their governor of Saada, with the job of managing military and security affairs for the governorate.Houthis Control Sa’ada, Help Appoint Governor
By July 2011, the Houthis had slowly expanded their insurgency towards neighbouring Al Jawf Governorate, clashing with tribal fighters loyal to the Sunni Islamist Al-Islah party,Reuters Factional fighting brings Yemen unrest nearer Saudi, July 12, 2011 in which over 120 people were killed.Yemen Post Yemeni Revolution Slowly entering Phase of War, July 29, 2011 The fighting erupted after pro-Islah tribes first seized control of the governorate after its governor, loyal to Saleh, fled, and the Houthis refused to hand over a Yemeni military base which they had seized several months earlier. Fighting continued until 11 July with more than 30 people killed. The Houthis claimed that some elements of the pro-Islah militias had links to al-Qaeda.
In August, a car bomb killed 14 Houthi rebels in Al Jawf during a meeting in a government administration complex at Al Matammah. Although the Houthis initially blamed the United States and Israel for the bombing, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) eventually claimed responsibility,Al-Qaeda claims attacks on Houthis in northern Yemen with the organization having declared a holy war against the Houthis earlier that year.
Siege On 15 October 2011, the Houthis received a leaked letter from Dar al-Hadith's imam, Sheikh Yahya al-Hajuri, who urged the Central Security Organization commander Yahya Mohamed Abdullah Saleh to fight against the Houthis.Yemen Times Houthis partially lift Damaj blockade , December 5, 2011 At the same time, a 13-year-old Houthi supporter was also physically assaulted in Dammaj by Salafi students. This prompted the Houthis to demand that the Salafis empty their military posts in the city, claiming that the Dammaj school had made attacks against Houthi supporters and was attempting to take control of military positions outside of their area by continuing to incite them, and by describing the Houthis as non-believers and carrying out military training for their supporters, but the Salafis refused. The Houthis responded by besieging Dar al-Hadith on 18 October, surrounding it with snipers and attacking the Salafi-held Al Baraqa mountain on 30 October. The Salafis claimed the siege did not allow any food or medicine to enter the complex and called upon Yemen authorities to break the siege. The Houthis claimed they were only blocking weapons from entering the area.Yemen Islamists decry 'siege' by Shiite rebels, November 30, 2010
First battle In response to the siege, tribesmen loyal to the Salafi group blocked the Al Buqa road connecting Saada to Saudi Arabia and tribesmen from the al-Islah movement blocked the Sanaa-Saada road. Houthi-appointed governor of Saada, Fares Manaa, tried to mediate a ceasefire in which the Houthis would re-open the road and both sides would withdraw to their old positions. However, the ceasefire lasted merely four hours, after which a new round of fighting broke out in which one Salafi fighter was killed. The school and surrounding areas, including 10,000 inhabitants, were besieged for over two weeks.The Times of India 20 killed in attack on Yemen Sunni school, November 27, 2011
Another ceasefire, crafted by local tribesmen, lasted one week and was broken on 25 November, when Houthis began shelling the Salafi fighters' positions in the town, killing three and wounding two. A Houthi leader, Saleh Habra, claimed the Yemeni government was supplying arms to the Salafis and was trying to help them set up a base near the Saudi border, stating the new attack was to cut off their arms supplies.Daily Star Three killed in clashes in Yemen's north , November 26, 2011 Salafi leader Sheikh Yahya al-Hajuri responded by declaring jihad against the Houthis, which he described as "rejectionists".
The Houthis subsequently launched a raid into the town in the pre-dawn hours on 26 November, which lasted until the afternoon of 27 November.CNN Medics: Militants raid Yemen town, killing dozens, November 27, 2011 According to another Houthi leader, Dhaifullah al-Shami, the raid was in response to the Salafis rejecting a ceasefire offer by the Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi and continued fighting.Chicago Tribune At least 21 killed, dozens hurt in north Yemen fighting, November 27, 2011 A total of 24 Salafis were killed and 61 injured during the raid.BusinessWeek Yemen Shiite Houthis Fight Salafists Near Saudi Arabia’s Border, November 27, 2011 The deaths included two Indonesian and two American nationals.CRI English , November 27, 2011 The two Indonesians were later confirmed as Zamiri and Abu Soleh, both 24 years old.Tempo Interactive 100 RI Nationals Involved in Yemeni Conflict, December 1, 2011 Al-Shami confirmed that several Houthis were also killed during the raid, which the Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdelsalam put the number at less than ten.Google News 20 killed in attack on Yemen Sunni centre: tribe, November 27, 2011 On 30 November, the Houthis shelled the town again, injuring 26 people.Reuters At least 26 injured in new north Yemen fighting, November 30, 2011
On 3 December, the Houthis agreed to ease the blockade by allowing food aid supplied by the Red Cross to enter the area. However, they did not allow anyone to go in and out. Salafi students also accused the Houthis of confiscating a third of the food for themselves, a claim denied by the Houthis. According to the Red Cross, between 3 December and the start of the siege, four children had died of hunger and three elderly men died of lack of medications. The town was still said to be short on fuel. The Houthis claimed a ceasefire had been put in place, however fighting reportedly continued on both sides.
On 7 December, 3 Houthis were killed after Salafis launched a new attack. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi responded in a statement saying that "In a step that reveals their malicious intentions, they opened fire on us, killing three people, these unprovoked attacks are unjustified and are aimed at igniting a sectarian war in the country."Al-Ahram Yemen Shiite rebels says Sunnis killed threeNOW Lebanon , December 7, 2011 The Houthis responded by shelling Salafi positions on the Al Baraqa mountain, killing six people and injuring 15. A Salafi spokesman claimed that "al-Houthis have taken advantage of the ceasefire and made advances on Al Baraqa mountain" and said that he expected casualties to rise as violence would continue.Monsters and Critics , December 8, 2011 On 7 December, new clashes broke out in which three Houthis and four Salafis were killed. According to eyewitnesses, the Houthis generally had the upper hand during the fighting, although Salafis managed to capture several Houthi positions. The Houthis barricaded their positions on Al Baraqa.Yemen Post Sectarian violence Grows in North Yemen; Seven Killed, December 9, 2011