The Yemeni Armed Forces Media Center stated on Tuesday that the Chief of Staff, Sagheer Bin Aziz, survived an assassination attempt with a car bomb while returning to Marib province from a foreign visit.
In a statement, the Media Center added that the Minister of Defense, Mohsen Mohammed Al-Daeri, made a telephone call to the Chief of Staff to ensure his safety, according to the Arab World News Agency. The Minister of Defense said, ‘The failed and cowardly assassination attempt that targeted the Chief of Staff is an attempt to deter him from his national stances and his courageous leadership of the staff and his firmness’ against the Houthi movement.
The statement did not reveal the details of the incident. However, ‘Yemen Al-Ghad’ newspaper quoted sources stating that Bin Aziz survived an assassination attempt with a car bomb, while three of his companions were injured.
The Yemeni Minister of Defense ordered a swift investigation into the incident to uncover its circumstances and to track and arrest the perpetrators.”
Sagheer Hamoud Ahmed Aziz, often referred to as Sagheer bin Aziz, is a prominent figure in Yemen, serving as the current Chief of the Yemeni Armed Forces Staff. Born in 1967 in Al-Amashyah, Amran Governorate, he has been a significant military and political presence in Yemen.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Sanaa University and has undergone extensive military training, including a Master’s degree in military science from Sudan. Bin Aziz’s political career includes membership in the General People’s Congress (GPC) and representation in the Yemeni Parliament for two terms from 1997 to 2009.
His tenure as Chief of Staff has not been without peril; on 27 May 2020, he survived a missile strike at Sahn al-Jan military base near Marib. This attack resulted in the tragic loss of his son Fahd Aziz and his nephew Abdul Qawi, alongside six other soldiers.
The context in which this assassination attempt occurred is rooted in the complex and tumultuous conflict in Yemen, which started escalating in 2014.
The Houthi movement, consisting of Shiite rebels with links to Iran, took over the capital Sana’a, demanding lower fuel prices and a new government.
This led to the resignation of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government and a military campaign by a coalition of Gulf states led by Saudi Arabia to isolate the Houthis economically and through airstrikes, with support from the U.S. for logistics and intelligence.
The conflict drew the country into a broader regional proxy struggle, reflecting the Sunni-Shia divide, with Saudi Arabia and Iran supporting opposite sides.
Saudi Arabia imposed a naval blockade to prevent Iran from supplying the Houthis, leading to military escalations and humanitarian crises.
The conflict has seen more than twenty-five thousand airstrikes by the coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, causing extensive civilian casualties.
The Houthis initially made significant territorial gains but were pushed back by Saudi intervention. UN-led peace talks have stalled, and the conflict has evolved with the rise of other factions like the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which calls for an independent southern Yemen state.
Attacks by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have surged, adding to the complexity of the situation.
The humanitarian crisis in Yemen remains dire, with millions displaced and in need of aid.
Despite some reduction in fighting between Houthi rebels and the Saudi-led coalition in 2023, the peace process remains fragile and has made little progress, with violence continuing to disrupt any significant advancement towards resolution.
In summary, the attempted assassination of Sagheer bin Aziz is symptomatic of the deep-rooted instability and ongoing strife within Yemen, a country besieged by internal divisions and external influences, struggling to find a path towards peace and normalcy amidst a prolonged and devastating conflict.
