Gunmen shut Yemen university faculties for mixing of sexes

Special to WorldTribune.com

Islamist gunmen opposed to the mixing of sexes on campus dragged students out of Yemen’s University of Aden on Dec. 29 and shut down three faculties.

University of Aden
University of Aden

Students said the Islamists shouted: “No mixing. We have warned you before,” and said university authorities did not attempt to stop the gunmen.

“They dragged us out of the exam halls,” said one of the students. “They detained two students who were filming the incident.”

Witnesses said the Islamists forced students out of the faculties of administrative sciences, law, and engineering, before locking down the gates.

Local residents said the gunmen were loyalists of Ayman Askar, a local militia leader linked to both Al Qaida and Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL).

In November, Islamist gunmen entered the faculty of administrative sciences at the university and threatened to use force against students if they did not observe segregation of the sexes.

While forces loyal to Yemeni President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi now control Aden, Islamic extremists still often occupy government buildings and are frequently seen patrolling several districts of the city, residents say.

Yemen’s capital Sanaa has been under the control of Iran-backed Houthi rebels since September 2014.

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