About

Abyan Governorate is a province of Yemen. Historically, the Abyan region was part of the Fadhli Sultanate and served as a base for the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army militant group. Its capital is Zinjibar. The province is famous for agriculture, particularly date palm cultivation and livestock farming. On March 31, 2011, Al Bawaba reported that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) declared Abyan the "Al-Qaeda Emirate in Yemen" after seizing control of the region. The New York Times reported that while the group in control was an Islamic militant organization, it was not actually Al-Qaeda. This occupation was confirmed on May 28. Yemeni government forces launched efforts to re-establish control over the region, resulting in the Battle of Zinjibar. In addition to Zinjibar, the towns of Ja'ar and Shuqrah were also under Islamist control. In early May 2012, Yemeni forces and Southern Resistance forces launched a major offensive to reclaim control of the province from the militants. After a month of intense fighting, government forces captured Zinjibar and Ja'ar on June 12. The militants reportedly retreated toward the town of Shuqrah. In 2017, through military operations led by the Southern Security Forces and the Southern Resistance, Abyan was liberated from Islamic militants who fled to the mountainous regions of Al Bayda and Marib Governorates.