Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
The Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen is an ongoing armed conflict between the Yemeni government, United States, and al-Qaeda-affiliated cells in Yemen. It is a part of the Global War on Terror.
Government crackdown against al-Qaeda cells began in 2001, escalating steadily until 14 January 2010, when Yemen declared open war on al-Qaeda. In addition to battling al-Qaeda across several provinces, Yemen was forced to contend with a Shia insurgency in the north and militant separatists in the south. Fighting with al-Qaeda escalated further during the course of the 2011 Yemeni revolution, with Jihadists seizing most of the Abyan Governorate and declaring it an Emirate. A second wave of violence began in early 2012, with militants claiming territory across the southwest amid heavy combat with government forces.
On 16 September 2014, a full-scale civil war erupted after Houthi fighters stormed Sana'a and ousted interim President Hadi, fracturing the Yemeni government between the UN recognized government of President Hadi and the Houthis' newly formed Supreme Political Council. The full-scale civil war led to a rise of Islamist Groups (Al-Qaeda, ISIS), insurgencies (Houthis) and call for separation of South Yemen.