National Resistance Forces (Guards of the Republic Brigades)

Historical background

In December 2017, the alliance between the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh collapsed, leading to major confrontations in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. Initially presumed to have been killed alongside his uncle on 4 December 2017, Tariq Saleh later resurfaced in the south of the country in early 2018, reportedly residing under the protection of the UAE.²Middle East Eye, ‘Death of a leader: Where next for Yemen’s GPC after murder of Saleh?,’ 23 January 2018 After establishing his headquarters in the Bir Ahmad area of Aden, Tariq began coordinating and training a military force composed of disbanded units of the Republican Guard and the Special Forces, under the auspices of the UAE and with the political support of the STC.

In early 2018, Tariq Saleh established three brigades: one in Bir Ahmad, Aden; one on the West Coast, composed of members of the 10th Republican Guard Brigade; and one in Lahij, at the al-Anad base.³Al Araby, ‘Three military brigades are being trained in the south under the supervision of Tariq Saleh,’ 18 February 2018 His brother, Ammar, was stationed at al-Anad and tasked with facilitating the transit of former military officers fleeing the north.⁴Al Jazeera, ‘Tariq Saleh.. a Yemeni soldier on whom the UAE is betting,’ 5 February 2018 By mid-February 2018, Tariq Saleh met the Internationally Recognized Government (IRG) Governor of Hudayda, Hasan Tahir, laying the groundwork for a military operation on the West Coast.⁵Al Araby, ‘Tariq Saleh appears with the governor of Hodeidah…and news of his joining the fronts,’ 18 february 2018 However, tensions remained high with other members of the IRG camp, especially the Southern Resistance⁶Lahj Press, ‘The leaders of the southern and Tihami resistance categorically reject the presence of “Tariq Afash” on the West Coast front,’ 2015 and Islah.⁷Al Murasil Net, ‘The military situation in Taiz exploded, street war broke out between the coalition factions, and news of an Emirati reform deal paid for by Abu Al-Abbas (exclusive details),’ 25 April 2018

On 19 April 2018,⁸Twitter_@HurasAljumhuria, 19 April 2018 the NRF took part in their first operation on the West Coast, joining Operation Golden Spear. Subsequently, the NRF participated in Operation Red Thunder and in the battle of Hudayda, with Tariq Saleh acquiring growing influence among the UAE-backed forces. In July 2018, 3,000 fighters from the Tihama Resistance were assigned to the NRF. 

In July 2019, the NRF became part of the Joint Forces on the West Coast, formally led by Major General Haytham Qasim Tahir. Despite the Joint Forces’ spokesperson publicly denying Tariq Saleh’s prominent role within the new entity, he effectively exercised decision-making authority over the UAE-backed units stationed on the West Coast.⁹Erem News, ‘The fact that Tariq Saleh was appointed commander of the joint forces in the western coast of Yemen,’ 10 July 2019 Between 2019 and 2020, Tariq Saleh’s growing influence led to disagreements and armed clashes with the Tihama Resistance.

On 25 March 2020, Tariq Saleh established the Political Office for National Resistance. In his inaugural speech, Tariq Saleh clarified that his forces had no intention to replace the Yemeni government; rather, they wanted to be part of it.¹⁰Nadwa al-Dawsari, ‘Fantasies of State Power Cannot Solve Yemen’s War,’ The Century Foundation, 13 July 2021 This ambition eventually materialized with his appointment as a member of the newly established Presidential Leadership Council.