The new leader of the al-Qaeda branch in Yemen, Saad al-Awlaki, was appointed in the midst of the decline of the jihadist organization, which is in the grip of financial and internal crises.
The organization has claimed responsibility for attacks in the United States and Europe in the past, including the deadly 2015 attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris.
Saad al-Awlaki is an influential member of the jihadist network, aged around forty and wanted by the United States.
He succeeded Khalid Batarfi, whose death was announced on March 10 by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
According to Yemeni sources close to the group, the latter died following an illness from which he had suffered for several years.
The appointment of Saad al-Awlaki is
“a major renewal for the organization, which is suffering from a financial crisis and conflicts with several Yemeni tribes
,” says researcher specializing in jihadist groups, Assem Al-Sabri.
Reduced influence in recent years
Born in 2009 from the merger of the Yemeni and Saudi factions of al-Qaeda, AQAP is considered by Washington as the most dangerous branch of the Sunni extremist network.
It developed in the chaos caused by the civil war that has ravaged Yemen since 2014, between the government supported by Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels close to Iran, but it has suffered multiple defeats in recent years, losing territories and fighters.
Aqpa attacks in the country, both against government forces and rebels, have decreased significantly since the death of its powerful former leader Qassim al-Rimi, killed by an American strike in Yemen in February 2020, and replaced by Khalid Batarfi.
Internal crises have also put a brake on its operations abroad, adds Assem Al-Sabri.
Its new leader will work to close the ranks of the group, and could even seek to relaunch attacks in Western countries, believes the expert.
Broad support from religious leaders and local tribes
Saad al-Awlaki is on the list of people wanted by the United States for having
“publicly called for attacks”
against the country and its allies, according to the American government website.
Washington is offering a reward of up to six million dollars for information about him.
A member of the AQAP Advisory Council, he enjoys broad support from the group's religious and military leaders, who are counting on him to mobilize the troops, Yemeni sources close to the organization told AFP, under cover of anonymity.
According to a tribal official who also requested anonymity, Saad al-Awlaki also maintains good relations with powerful local tribes, particularly in the province of Chabwa, one of the strongholds of the organization from which he himself comes.
He could
“use his connections to restore the tribal influence of the organization, in particular in Chabwa”
, explains a tribal source to AFP on condition of anonymity.
This province in the south of the country, like the neighboring region of Abyan, is the scene of frequent clashes between AQAP fighters and government troops, notably separatist forces trained by the United Arab Emirates.
AQAP's propaganda has recently focused on the fight against these forces, points out Ayman al-Tamimi of the Middle East Forum.