Ibb Governorate… Between Defeating the Old Imamate and Confronting Today’s Imamate! (Special Report)

Yemen Monitor / Reports Unit:

Amid its green valleys and sprawling plains, Ibb Governorate preserves tales of glory and struggle throughout history. It is not just a natural, God-given masterpiece that captivates the eye, but also a proud fortress that has long refused to bow to tyranny and oppression.

This trait of bravery among the people of Ibb is not new; it is a historical legacy embodied in decisive moments—most notably the September 26 Revolution, when martyr Ali Abdul-Mughni, a son of Al-Sadda district, became the beating heart of that revolution. This hero not only took part in planning, drafting its goals, and writing its proclamation, but was also among the first to water Yemen’s sacred soil with his blood for the sake of ending the imamate and establishing a republican state.

Martyr Ali Muhammad Abdul-Mughni once affirmed that the people of Ibb turn words into deeds, and that liberation from tyranny runs in their veins like a flowing river. Today, the steadfast people of this governorate continue to confirm that freedom courses through their blood, and that no matter how long oppression lasts, it will never deter them from their stance.

Frenzied Abduction Campaigns and Growing Houthi Anxiety

Since the Houthi militia’s coup against the state, the people of Ibb have sought to reclaim the glory of their forefathers who defeated the imamate of the past—by resisting today’s imamate embodied by the Houthis. The group, in turn, feels deeply unsettled by the free popular unrest in the governorate, and has repeatedly resorted to launching large-scale abduction campaigns and prolonged arrest sweeps against civilians opposing its ideology and violent project.

These arrest campaigns are most active during national occasions (May, September, October, November), aiming to extinguish the spirit of celebrating national holidays—especially the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution—and to suppress the fire of dignity and freedom burning in the veins of the free.

In its monitoring, the human rights organization Rights Radar revealed that the Houthi group has carried out abductions and arrests of more than 480 civilians in Ibb over the past two and a half years, including women and children—marking one of the widest waves of repression in areas under their control.

According to the report, the peak of arrests occurred in September 2023, when 95 people were abducted in just four days, including 11 children and 6 women, over their participation in celebrations marking September 26 Revolution.

Similarly, September 2024 witnessed mass arrests, with 250 people detained, including 24 children. These arrest campaigns were accompanied by violent raids on homes, shops, and professional offices, along with physical and verbal assaults, cases of enforced disappearance, and financial extortion of detainees’ families.

This year, the Yemeni Network for Rights and Freedoms documented 83 abduction cases in Ibb between March 1 and July 20, 2025. These included 9 cases of enforced disappearance and targeted 22 educators, 12 students, 3 children, 6 mosque preachers, 5 community leaders, and 17 doctors, academics, lawyers, and employees.

The network confirmed that the Houthis have established 12 secret prisons in the governorate, where daily physical and psychological torture is practiced. Detainees are transferred to unknown locations and forced to sign confessions under duress, in total disregard for local laws and international human rights conventions.

Houthi Alert Status and a Dark Record of Abductions

Yemen Monitor spoke with a number of journalists and activists from Ibb Governorate, who expressed their deep outrage over the violations committed by the Houthi militia against the people of their region. They stressed that these practices only strengthen the people’s resolve to hold firm to their principles and cling to their goals until they rid Yemen of the nightmare that has loomed over it for more than a decade.

Journalist Ali Al-Yafarsi said:
“The Houthis fall into hysteria whenever the anniversary of glorious September approaches, because the youth of Ibb turn the nights and days of September into a season of alarm and fear for them every year.”

Al-Yafarsi told Yemen Monitor that during this particular month, the Houthis put their supervisors on full alert in every neighborhood, district, village, and hamlet, sending them to visit locals, sheikhs, activists, and community figures—threatening them with arrest, fines, and disappearance into prisons if they hold celebrations for the September 26 Revolution. Often, they fabricate accusations, such as conspiring with Israel, as a pretext to justify repression and abuse of those celebrating.

According to Al-Yafarsi, “In past years, the Houthis abducted more than 500 young men and women for celebrating the September 26 Revolution. Most of them are abused and their families extorted for money, much like criminal gangs that kidnap people and demand ransom before releasing them.”

He added: “The Houthis know well that Ibb carries within it a legacy of revolutions and struggles against the imamate, written in the blood of its heroes and leaders—from the revolution of Al-Faqih Saeed, to Sheikh Hamoud Abdulrab Sinan, to Sheikh Mohammed Ayed Al-Uqab, and on to today’s revolutions ignited by the writer, poet, and militant martyr Nayef Al-Juma’i and thousands of other martyrs whose pure souls spread across Yemen.”

He continued: “The sacrifices of Ibb’s people are not limited to their own governorate. The heroes of Ibb have shed blood in battles against the new imamate across many fronts—most notably Taiz, Sana’a, Marib, Mocha, Hajjah, Saada, Hudaidah, Al-Jawf, Aden, and Al-Dhalea. This is why the Houthis are so fearful of this governorate’s people.”

Struggle Against the Imamate is a Historical Legacy

Journalist Mahmoud Abu Ras said:
“As we live through this great month and the atmosphere of this immortal national occasion, the anniversary of the September 26 Revolution, we proudly recall the struggles of the proud people of Ibb, who have always been at the forefront in defending freedom and dignity—from resisting the abhorrent Zoroastrian clerical imamate, to sparking the flame of the glorious September 26 Revolution.”

He told Yemen Monitor:
“The heroic martyr Ali Abdul-Mughni was one of the most prominent young minds who believed in liberation and offered his pure soul for the homeland. His name remains a beacon in the memory of the free, a symbol of sacrifice for the republic and justice, and a source of terror for today’s imamate.”

He added:
“Since the rise of the new clerical rule in 2014, Ibb has not ceased offering sacrifices. Its sons have continued the struggle against the dark militia, its soil soaked with the blood of heroes, while thousands of families still suffer from the abduction or forced displacement of their loved ones into the prisons of oppression or into exile at home and abroad.”

He continued:
“The Houthis practice abduction, torture, home raids, and abuse against citizens in this great governorate in a desperate attempt to extinguish the revolution sparked against them since their coup against the state. But they fail to realize that the people of Ibb cannot be broken by such campaigns, nor can their free voices be silenced. The struggle that began in 2014 will not end until these militias are gone.”

He concluded:
“On this great occasion, we affirm that Ibb will remain faithful to the September Revolution, guarding its principles, and pressing forward in the path of struggle until the state is restored and Yemen is free, republican, and just. Glory to the martyrs, freedom to the abducted, and victory to republican Yemen.”

The September Revolution Will Return as a Torrent Sweeping Away the Militias

Meanwhile, one activist from Ibb (who asked not to be named for security reasons) said:
“In the period leading up to September and throughout the month, the Houthis declare an unprecedented state of alert. Abductions and enforced disappearances rise—with or without cause. Supervisors carry out frequent visits to notables and social figures, warning them against any move. Schools are monitored excessively.”

He told Yemen Monitor:
“Many of those abducted and disappeared by the Houthis have been influential community figures—either activists known for their concern for those around them, or intellectuals and educators who left a mark on future generations. Sadly, most of these influential detainees are denied contact with their families, who are not allowed to visit them. Families only hear unconfirmed news of their transfer from one prison to another.”

He added:
“With such hostile behavior, the militia believes it can extinguish the revolution burning against it or muzzle dissenting voices. What they don’t realize is that they are only fueling the fire against them and intensifying popular anger. Today, you will find no one in Ibb who openly supports the Houthis except those planted within their ranks.”

He continued:
“Even if there is some silence or attempts to coexist with reality, popular resentment toward the militia grows day by day, especially in this great month when the people of Ibb remember the sacrifices of their fathers and grandfathers in defeating the imamate and ridding themselves of its tyranny and oppression.”

He concluded:
“The September Revolution will return—whether this month or another. And when it does, no precaution will save the militias. The silence that has prevailed toward their actions will transform into a mighty volcano, a sweeping torrent, and a fire that will consume them and burn their history beyond return.”