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Analysis

Yemen: Growth of Criminal Gangs Threatens Stability
Yemeni protesters flash the V for 'Victory' sign at a rally to demand that outgoing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh stand trial for ordering violence against pro-democracy protests in Sanaa, the capital. (MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)
December 23, 2011
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| Middle East and North Africa
Summary
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The resurgence of criminal gangs operating in Yemen has increased dramatically since Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to step down in late November, and will likely lead to increasing instability in the country during its critical transition period. Of the criminal gangs operating inside Yemen, the radical Islamist group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is the strongest, with an estimated 500-600 members.

About 15 AQAP prisoners escaped from a Yemeni prison in the port city of Aden in southern Yemen last week after digging a small underground tunnel. The escape comes amid growing violence between militants linked to AQAP and Yemeni troops. Sixteen AQAP fighters and four Yemeni soldiers were killed on Tuesday while fighting outside the southern city of Zinjibar, the capital of the Abyan province.

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