Posts tagged: Ataq

I took a short trip to Shabwa (or Shabwah) with a friend to see her family. The province borders Marib, Abyan and Hadramaut, and has been the wild wild west of Yemen long before the recent conflicts began. Northern Shabwa is dry and mountainous while the southern part is dominated by volcanic landscape and beautiful beaches.

Nowadays the government still controls the provincial capital Ataq, but five minutes outside the city the army is conveniently absent until the coastal town of Balhaf five hours down south. In between the land falls under the control of Ansar Al Sharia, an offshoot of Al Qaeda, Hirak Independence movement, and various tribes and villages.