Yemen

Republic of Yemen

The Republic of Yemen (الجمهورية اليمنية) was formed in May 1990, by the amalgamation of the former Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (Yemen (Democratic Republic)). Prior to their unification, the two countries had fluctuated between states of hostility and peace, with a short war being fought between September and October 1972 (the First Yemenite War), primarily in the border region, followed by a second conflict between February and March 1979 (Second Yemenite War). Under unification, the country had strong political and military ties to Egypt and Saudi Arabia (which are retained by the government of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi). Yemen has employed a wide variety of camouflage patterns scattered amongst military and paramilitary forces, including American, British, Egyptian, and Saudi designs, as well as some recent pixelated designs of indigenous origin.

The Yemen Civil War (الحرب الأهلية اليمنية) is a more than decade long conflict involving the Saudi-backed government forces of the Republic of Yemen against insurgent Houthi-dominated Supreme Political Council (المجلس السياسي الأعلى), as well as elements of jihadist Al-Queda and the (shrinking) Islamic State - Yemen Province. In September 2014, the capital city of Sanaa was overtaken by Houthi forces, which by March 2015 had usurped control of the seat of government and declared the (largely unrecognized) Supreme Political Council as the new, legitimate government of the entire country; president Hadi, meanwhile, fled to Saudi Arabia. The Houthis have been supported by military forces that previously supported former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been (ironically) killed by Houthi assassins in December 2017. The Houthi movement is also supported and supplied by the the government of Iran. Most of North Yemen (excepting the eastern Marib Governorate) is now controlled by the Supreme Political Council.

In May 2017, the Aden Governorate came under the control of the Southern Transitional Council (المجلس الانتقالي الجنوبي), led by president Aidarus al-Zoubaidi, which advocates for a return to two states (North and South Yemen) as it was before unification in 1990. The STC is militarily supported by the United Arab Emirates, and previously claimed to control most of the territory in South Yemen. Between January 2018 and December 2020, there was periodic fighting between the STC forces and those of the Republic of Yemen, as both groups attempted to seize control of more territory and claim legitimate governance over Southern Yemen. In April 2022, the STC became part of a new Presidential Leadership Council, and the government of Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi was dissolved. The PLC operates by sharing governance of South Yemen and is led by a chairman, with four vice chairmen and three additional council members, although in practice chairman Rashad Muhammad al-Alimi exerts sole control over the military forces.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Yemen consist of the Ground Forces (including the former Republican Guard - now called the Presidential Defence Forces), the Navy (including the Coast Guard since 2003), the Air Force, and the Border Guard Forces (قوات حرس الحدود اليمنية). Both the Army and the Republican Guard (الحرس الجمهوري اليمني‎) include special operations and mountain units in addition to conventional infantry, armor, and support units. The Ministry of the Interior also maintain approximately 50,000 paramilitary troops, concentrated in several specialized departments that include the regular Public Security Forces (police), the Special Security Forces (قوات الأمن الخاصة‎‎) - previously known as the Central Security Organization (قوات الأمن المركزي) or CSO until 2013 - the Facilities Guard and VIP Protection unit, and the Civil Defense Corps. The SSF functions as a kind of Gendarmerie, and has a wide range of infantry materiel and light armor in its arsenal.

In addition to the armed forces and the MOI forces, several independent groups bolster the fighting capability of the Republic, most notably the Popular Committees (اللجان الشعبية), which are essentially tribal militias and are also often referred to as the Popular Resistance/Popular Resistance Committees. These forces have remained loyal to the legitimately recognized government of the Republic of Yemen. Other anti-Houthi groups fighting in the war include the Tihamah Resistance (مقاومة تهامة), which has been active since 2014 but is considered more loyal to the UAE. The Southern Giants Brigades (ألوية العمالقة الجنوبية) emerged in 2015 as part of the Southern Movement that is working towards a secession from the north, and a return to the state of South Yemen. Lastly, the Yemeni National Resistance (المقاومة الوطنية اليمنية), also called the National Resistance Force or the Guards of the Republic, was founded in 2017 under the leadership of Tareq Saleh, and consists of former members of the Republican National Guard and the Central Security Organization. Although technically not part of the Armed Forces (reputedly their loyalty is to Saleh only), they wear Yemeni military uniforms and berets, with their own insignia, and often fight alongside the Republican forces.

The Houthis (الحوثيون), or Ansar Allah, embrace Zaydism (a branch of Shia Islam) and promote Islamist ideals. They trace their origins to the al-Houthi tribe, which in turn claims to descend from the Banu Hashim, the tribe to which the Prophet Muhammed belonged. At various times, the Houthis have received military and/or financial support from Iran, Ba'athist Syria, and North Korea, as well as Hezbollah, Hamas, and al-Shebaab. Militarily, Houthi forces have grown in size and sophistication, although there remains little public information as to any formalized organization or military structure. Evidence suggests a portion of the former Yemeni Air Force is now under Houthi control, as well as drones and missiles (supplied by Iran), which have both been used to a high degree of effectiveness. Houthi ground forces seem to be a mixture of former military personnel and paramilitary forces with a wide spectrum of training, although in recent years it appears some units have been given specialized training and uniforms to distinguish them from the common militia fighters. Although Houthi combatants have historically worn whatever uniforms were available (most stolen from Yemen Republic warehouses), many Houthis have tended to prefer the type of tribal clothing that is typically found amongst jihadist forces. That said, units identified only as "Military Special Forces" have been documented wearing standardized camouflage clothing or solid black clothing, suggesting that an effort is being made to bring the Houthi armed forces into the modern era, or at the very least to present a unified appearance.

Camouflage Patterns of the Yemen Republic

• Certainly the longest-lived camouflage pattern worn by Yemeni forces is the Egyptian two-color desert or "sand" pattern. The pattern was used by airborne & commando forces of the former Yemen Arab Republic and has been worn historically by some units of the Yemeni Armed Forces and the Yemen Police or units of the CSO. All current issue Yemeni uniforms appear to be made in China, and are often labeled with the Yemeni Armed Forces national crest. More recently produced versions of this pattern have a distinctively yellow coloration.

• The unusual design seen here is of undetermined origins, although evidence suggests it was in use with Yemeni forces between 1991 and 1994, particularly during the Summer War of 1994 (حرب صيف ١٩٩٤ ) in the south. The design has no obvious links to historical patterns from the region, and may even be locally sourced. Only a handful of photographs have emerged illustrating its use, suggesting it may have been a very short-lived camouflage design indeed.

• The general issue camouflage pattern of the Yemeni Armed Forces and Police is a variation of British DPM. The design features black, chocolate brown & bright green disruptive shapes on an orange-tan background, and is distinctive when compared to British, New Zealand or other versions.

• Another commonly distributed pattern is a locally-made copy of the US-designed six-color desert pattern (chocolate chip). The Yemeni version has a much darker colorway, incorporating white rocks with black shadow shapes scattered over a background of reddish-brown, orange-tan & dark tan with a sandy base.

• Yemeni Special Forces & Republican Guards wear a unique arid camouflage design having greyish-brown and grey amoebic shapes over a background of tan and stone. The pattern bears a strong resemblance to that worn currently by the Cyprus National Guard, yet the drawings are distinctive and not the same.

• A faithful copy of the US m81 woodland pattern was worn by some members of the Yemeni Central Security Organization (قوات الأمن المركزي‎), the paramilitary force of the Ministry of the Interior, although after the agency changed its name to the Special Security Forces the design ceased to be worn.

• A three-color "spot" design, seemingly copied or heavily influenced by the Finnish M70 camouflage design, has been fielded by some units of the Republican Guard.

• This urban or blue DPM pattern, similar to designs commonly encountered in other Arab Gulf States (Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, et al), has been in use for several decades by police and security units of the Ministry of the Interior. Several color variations have been observed, including the one seen here with strong purple overtones.

• Created in 2012, some members of the Yemen Coast Guard originally adopted a variation of the ubiquitous chocolate chip camouflage design, with a grey colorway. This design is very similar to versions worn by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and was probably obtained from the same factories that produced the pattern for one of those countries.

• Circa 2008-2009 Yemen began introduction of a series of pixelated camouflage patterns to replace the traditional analog designs used heretofore. One of the first patterns to emerge is seen here, and is worn by the Special Security Forces (قوات الأمن الخاصة‎‎). The design incorporates black, reddish brown, dark green & olive green on a pale green background, although there have been alternate versions in circulation over the years. There is some specululation that the pattern was influenced by German flecktarn.

• Yemeni Republican Guards have also adopted a pixelated pattern circa 2008-2009, using the same colors as their previous organic camouflage.

• Another digital pattern seen recently is this three-color desert variant, incorporating smaller reddish-brown shapes on a background of sand and tan.

• In service since at least 2012, a copy of the US desert MARPAT camouflage pattern is now standard issue to many units of the Yemeni Armed Forces, including the majority of the Ground Forces and the Yemen Border Guards Forces, as well as some elements of the Navy and Air Force.

• Some units in the Yemeni Armed Forces also wear a copy of the US temperate MARPAT pattern. It is uncertain whether this design is in general service with the Ground Forces, but it has been observed on members of the Army Special Operations Forces, as well as some high ranking officers with connections to special operations, so may have elite status linked to it. This design was also worn by members of the MOI Special Security Forces, apparently worn concurrently with the current large pixel design.

• At some point in 2022, the Yemen Coast Guard adopted a copy of the Bundeswehr desert flecktarn camouflage design. This design has also been observed in use by a majority of the Yemeni National Resistance.

• The yellow-dominant, pixelated camouflage design seen here has some obvious similarities to the Egyptian-inspired two-color desert design also worn by this nation. Dating to at least 2018, the pattern appears to be worn exclusively by the Facilities Guard and VIP Protection Police unit (شرطة حراسة المنشآت وحماية الشخصيات) of the Ministry of the Interior.

• It would appear the previously worn "spot" pattern of the Republican Guard (now the Presidential Guard), heavily influenced by the Finnish M70 design, has also been pixelated and is now being worn by members of that unit. Two variations have been observed, differentiated by the size of the pixels employed to create the pattern.

• Initially seen circa 2018, a variety of blue/grey-dominant camouflage designs are now being worn by certain elements of the Special Security Force. It is undetermined whether the color variations were intentional, experimental, or simply products of varied manufacturing sources.

• At some point in 2023, personnel of the Yemen Air Force and Air Defense (القوات الجوية اليمنية والدفاع الجوي) started wearing a unique camouflage design consisting of puzzle piece-like blotches of beige and greyish-brown on a sand-based background. It is likely the design is worn primarily by the Air Defense and installation security personnel and not the entire Air Force.

• Another pattern dating to 2023 is this pixelated design with a grey/black colorway, primarily observed on officers of the Yemen Coast Guard (although it is believed some Navy officers also wear it).

Camouflage Worn by Houthi Forces

As mentioned previously, the majority of Houthi forces have little formalized military training and are not outfitted in any consistent type or style of uniform. Many wear looted military uniforms and equipment from Yemen Republic stockpiles and warehouses in areas that were overtaken by Houthi forces. There are a couple of notable exceptions, however.

• Units consistently identified as "Houthi Police Forces" have been documented wearing the same blue-dominant camouflage uniforms as previously worn by the MOI Police of the Yemen Republic. This includes both the older DPM patterns, and the more recently adopted pixelated designs.

• Photographs of units identified as "Military Special Forces" have been observed wearing dark grey/black-dominant camouflage uniforms, such as the black Multicam pattern and a copy of Kryptek Typhon, undoubtedly sourced in China.