A/HRC/45/CRP.7 fighters, including a mix of Guards of the Republic, Salafi fighters and the local Tuhami Resistance forces consisting of tribesmen from Al-Hudaydah governorate. Saleh defected from the Houthi/Saleh alliance after the Houthis killed his uncle, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in December 2017. He joined the UAE-led campaign against the Houthis along the Red Sea coast in early 2018 and has never formally accepted President Hadi’s authority.783 a) The National Resistance (Guardians of Republic) 19. These forces are non-state armed groups, formed from members of the previous Republican Guard Brigades that belong to all Yemeni governorates. The majority of the members of the National Resistance Forces belong to the so-called "Republican Guard", made up of Special Forces, as well as tribesmen. The national resistance forces are led by Brigadier General Tareq Saleh and were formed, trained and armed by the UAE. They participated in the Al-Hudaydah battle in 2018 under the operational control of the UAE. b) Giant Brigades 20. These brigades are a non-state armed group formed from the southern resistance elite, most of whose leaders are Salafi. There are currently about 12 brigades, mostly formed, trained, armed and supported by the UAE, under supervision from the Joint Operations Center of the Coalition. These forces participated in the successful battle for Bab al-Mandab and the city of Al Mukha alongside the Emirati armed forces, and they coordinate with the various forces of National Resistance and Tuhama forces. 21. The United Arab Emirates has held complete operational control during operations onthe west coast. Serial Name Position Location Remarks 1 Ali Salim al-Hasni784 Giants Forces Commander West Coast, AlHudaydah785 Salafist leader ‫علي سالم الحسني‬ 2 Ra’ed Hassan Abdulrahman Saleh alHabhi ‫رائد حسن عبدالرحمن صالح‬ 3 Hamdi Shukri787 ‫حمدي شكري‬ 783 784 785 786 787 Commander of the The coast-Ad Salafist leader, 1st Giants Durayhimi studied at Dar Brigade786 Al-Hadith Center in Dammaj Commander of the Zabid-Al 2nd Giants Brigade Garrahi Salafist leader International Crisis Group, Rethinking Peace in Yemen, 2 July 2020. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/rethinking-peace-yemen-middle-east-report-n-216-2-july-2020enar Some reports indicate that Abd al-Rahman Abu Zar'ah al-Muharrami has been appointed as the general commander of the Al Amaliqa Brigades. See: https://www.alminasapress.com/news302690. See: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-are-uae-backed-forces-fighting-western-front-yemen. See: https://abaadstudies.org/news-59781.html. Also, see: https://almasdaronline.com/article/sourceassignment-of-major-general-haitham-qassem-as-a-commander-of-a-military-council-leadingcombat-operations-on-the-west-coast. Also see: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-are-uaebacked-forces-fighting-western-front-yemen. See: https://abaadstudies.org/news-59781.html. Also, see: https://almasdaronline.com/article/sourceassignment-of-major-general-haitham-qassem-as-a-commander-of-a-military-council-leadingcombat-operations-on-the-west-coast. Also see: https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/who-are-uaebacked-forces-fighting-western-front-yemen. 133