National Resistance Forces

The National Resistance Force (NRF) – also known as Guards of the Republic – are paramilitary units led by Brigadier General Tariq Saleh, the nephew of late President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The NRF was established in early 2018 with the support and funding of the United Arab Emirates. It has a national agenda aimed at freeing the West Coast and Yemen’s north from the Houthis. The NRF are estimated at around 4,000 fighters, with an additional 5,000 believed to be trained in a UAE military base in the port of Assab, Eritrea. Their main area of activity is Yemen’s West Coast.

NRF Leadership

Brigadier General Tariq Saleh is the son of Major General Mohammed Abdullah Saleh and nephew of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.¹ Prior to 2011, he served as commander of the 3rd Armored Brigade and of the Presidential Guard, and after 2014 led his uncle’s praetorian guard. Since April 2022, Tariq Saleh has been a member of the Presidential Leadership Council. Albeit backed by the UAE, he holds political ambitions diverging from the Southern Transitional Council’s (STC) and advocates for Yemen’s unity. The NRF’s military leadership is primarily comprised of former Republican Guard and Special Forces members, such as Brigadier General Sadiq Duwayd – Tariq Saleh’s deputy and spokesperson – from the northern Khawlan tribe. The dominance of northerners in the NRF’s leadership has caused tensions with the local Tihami elite. The NRF are headquartered in al-Mukha, on Taizz’s western coast. However, the NRF’s political office has branches in al-Khawkha, Taizz, Shabwa, and Marib.

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.² 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.

Timeline

• 2018
  • Apr. | The Guards of the Republic join Operation Golden Spear
• 2019
  • Jul. | The Guards of the Republic are integrated into the Joint Forces on the West Coast
• 2020
  • 25 Mar. | The Political Office for National Resistance is established
• 2022
  • Apr. | Tariq Saleh is appointed member of the PLC