The Southern Giants Brigades (), transliterated as Al Amalikah or Al Amaliqah, or simply known as the Giants Brigades, is a pro-government Yemeni militia. Its fighters are mostly Southern Yemeni tribesmen from

Lahej Lahij or Lahej (), formerly called Al-Hawtah, is a city and an area located between Ta'izz and Aden in Yemen. From the 18th to the 20th century, its rulers were of the Abdali branch of the Al-Sallami tribe who trace their lineage to one of the 1 ...

Abyan Abyan ( ) is a governorate of Yemen. The Abyan region was historically part of the Fadhli Sultanate. It was a base to the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militant group. Its capital is the city of Zinjibar. This governorate is noted for its agri ...

and

Dhale Dhale or Dhala, also spelled Dali and Dhalea and sometimes prefixed with Al or Ad (), is the capital town of Dhale Governorate in south-western Yemen. It is located at around , at an elevation of around 1500 metres. History Formerly it was the ca ...

. They include

Salafi The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retu ...

students of Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i's ''Dar al-hadith'' religious institute in

Dammaj Dammaj () is a small town in the Sa'dah Governorate of north-western Yemen, southeast by road from Sa'dah in a valley of the same name. Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i established the Madrasah Dar al-Hadith in Dammaj in 1979, an important center of le ...

Saada Saada (), located in the northwest of Yemen, is the capital and largest city of the governorate bearing the same name, as well as the administrative seat of the eponymous district. The city lies in the Serat (Sarawat) mountains at an altitude o ...

that were expelled by the

Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...

in early 2014. The militia is part of the Yemeni Joint Forces and is the largest faction in the formation. The Giants Brigades also receives extensive support from the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

militarily and financially.

History

The brigades were originally in the former North Yemeni military since the early 1970s. After Yemen unified, these brigades saw intensive action in the 1994 civil war and continued to be an effective unit in the Yemeni military. The original Giants Forces are no longer officially present and have been broken up and distributed in different areas over the years. The current Giants Brigades are a relatively new force in Yemen. They emerged from the

Southern Resistance Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

that fought the Houthis in the South at the beginning of the conflict in 2015. They have shown their military power during the Al Hudaydah governorate offensive, where they have killed hundreds of Houthi militants. In May 2018 the militia alongside Arab coalition forces took control of several pockets in

Taiz Taiz () is a city in southwestern Yemen. It is located in the Yemeni highlands, near the port city of Mocha on the Red Sea, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is the capital of Taiz Governorate. As of 2023, the city has an estimated p ...

from the Houthis, in the fighting several Houthi fighters were killed and several pieces of their equipment were either damaged or destroyed. After taking control of the "Mocha Interception" in the city the militia alongside allied forces including other factions in the Joint Forces, the Tihamah Resistance and Yemeni National Resistance they began to advance towards the "Bara Junction" to cut the Houthis' supply lines. Although many members of the Giants Brigades are known to be

Salafists The Salafi movement or Salafism () is a fundamentalist revival movement within Sunni Islam, originating in the late 19th century and influential in the Islamic world to this day. The name "''Salafiyya''" is a self-designation, claiming a retur ...

, most of them are first and foremost southerners. In December 2021, the Giants announced it had sent troops to Shabwa province "to liberate areas that fell into Houthi hands", driving out the rebels in just two weeks. They also seized southern areas of neighbouring Marib province, where the rebels and loyalists have been engaged in a months-long

battles A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

to seize its strategic capital city. After completing military operation Storm of the South the Southern Giants announced the redeployment of its forces after having "completed its mission" and that its troops remain on the frontlines ready to repel any Huthi attacks. On 7 April 2022, the Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi issued an order dismissing Vice President

Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar Ali Mohsen Saleh al-Ahmar (; born 20 June 1945), sometimes spelled Muhsin, is a Yemeni military officer and politician who served as the vice president of Yemen from 2016 to 2022, when he was dismissed by President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, who tra ...

and delegating his powers to a newly formed presidential council to lead the country through a transitional period. The leader of the Giants Abdulrahman Abu Zara’a Al Muharrami is a member of this leadership council.

References

{{Reflist Paramilitary organizations based in Yemen Organizations of the Yemeni Crisis (2011–present) Yemeni civil war (2014–present) Resistance movements