Gulf of Aden Security Review
A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity.
The Critical Threats Project Gulf of Aden Security Review provides daily updates on the security situation in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
(The Critical Threats Project is developing a site focused specifically on the threat posed by al-Qaeda and Associated Movements (AQAM); until that site reaches production, related pieces will be posted on the IranTracker site).
Yemen: Trial of MP Yahya al-Houthi begins in absentia; two soldiers killed and three wounded during attack by armed gunmen in al-Dhale; twenty-one al-Houthi rebels killed and twelve arrested in Sa’ada and Amran; gunmen blocked Ma’rib road demanding release of arms from ship that is under investigation by Parliament; Yemeni president met with American ambassador to Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab militants publicly execute to men accused of espionage in Merca; Hizb al-Islam accuses Somali journalists of being aligned with the government; Djibouti claims Eritrea supports Somali Islamist insurgents; at least three dead and twenty wounded during shelling of Sug Ba’ad in Mogadishu; Kenya admits to training of Somali police officers for the Transitional Federal Government.
Yemen: Security forces in Taiz arrest members of the new “Popular Movement for Justice and Change”; MP’s accuse figures tied to regime of involvement in arms trafficking as ship reportedly with Chinese-made weapons anchors off coast of Hodeida; around 200 Somali refugees reach Yemeni coast; Reporters Without Borders ranks Yemen 167 out of 175 in Press Freedom Index.
Horn of Africa: Somali Transitional Federal Government and al-Shabaab declare escalation of operations; African leaders ratify convention on internally-displaced persons; advanced U.S. military drones to patrol off Somali coast for pirates.
Yemen: Yemen intensifies security along coast to prevent smuggling; clashes reported between Yemenis and Saudi forces over border fence
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab attacks Mogadishu airport; Hizb al-Islam chairman said fighting to continue until Somalia has Islamic government; Islamist fighting near Kismayo kills twelve
Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh discussed security threats to Yemen; 52 al-Houthi rebels and six soldiers were killed in battle in Sa’ada province; Yemen turned over documentary evidence to Iran showing clerical involvement in northern conflict.
Horn of Africa: Fighting broke out in Kismayo between al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam; al-Shabaab closed two radio stations in central Somalia; Somali military confirms that soldiers are being trained in Kenya and other nearby countries; the Ogaden National Liberation Front declared victory over Ethiopian government troops and denied the surrender of top leaders.
Yemen: A surprise rebel-attack on an airport where arms are stored killed at least 80, primarily soldiers, in Razeh; Yemen denies Saudi involvement in northern conflict; Yemeni court sentences ten al-Houthi rebels to death, five to fifteen-year prison term; Yemen’s Foreign Minister announced willingness of government to participate in conditional talks.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab downs U.S. drone over Kismayo; Somali president calls for national dialogue; AU vehicle hit by landmine in Mogadishu; Somali pirates threaten to execute Chinese sailors.
Yemen: 44 al-Houthi rebels killed in air strikes near Saudi border; three Lebanese reportedly killed in northern Yemen; six Yemenis arrested by Saudi authorities in connection to al-Qaeda; twelve al-Houthi rebels sentenced in Yemen; President Saleh accuses al-Houthi rebels of receiving Iranian support.
Horn of Africa: Ethiopian troops reported to have withdrawn from key town in western Somalia; Somalis in Kenya say al-Shabaab recruits from Somali youth there; leader of Ogaden National Liberation Front surrenders to Ethiopian authorities leading to confiscation of explosives; al-Shabaab bans international aid agencies from regions it controls; Somali Prime Minister expected to reorganize Cabinet shortly.
Yemen: World Bank pledges $480 million over four years to Yemen for development; tribal chiefs call for government reinforcement against the al-Houthi rebels; Egypt to send assistance to Yemen in military plane.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab enforces strict Shari'a law in Mogadishu; al-Shabaab attacks AMISOM bases in Mogadishu; clashes occur between al-Shabaab and pro-government Ahlu Sunna Waljamaa in central Somalia; in Bakool, government soldiers gain control of Burdhuhle village; the Transitional Federal Government responds to South African allegations of Somalis planning terrorist attacks.
Yemen: Outlaws sever cable in Abyan province; weekly sit-in held in “Freedom Square” to demand rights; commencement of food and humanitarian aid deliveries to al-Ehsa camp.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam militants clash in Mogadishu; AU denies shelling of Bakara Market; Taliban fighters from Yemen reportedly join al-Shabaab; Interpol declares Somali piracy “organized crime.”
Yemen: Saleh promises victory over al-Houthis in north while al-Beidh calls for southern independence; al-Houthi rebels execute two and kidnap nine in the northern Razeh district; independent weekly newspaper, al-Masdar, banned from publishing; nine Somali pirates apprehended by Yemeni authorities in the Thubab coastal area.
Horn of Africa: Mogadishu clashes kill at least seven people; al-Shabaab militants arrest and lash over 200 Somali women for not veiling; over 13,000 Somali refugees transferred to new Kenyan camp.
Yemen: Germany warns Yaha al-Houthi against undertaking anti-government activities; Abdul Malik al-Houthi asserts possibility of northern secession; UNHCR convoy distributes humanitarian assistance to 2,000; Yemeni government asks Sa’ada province citizens to relocate to camps.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab controls areas of Mogadishu formerly under Hizb al-Islam; Sufi Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljama seizes explosive-filled vehicle in central Somalia; French repel pirate attack on tuna trawlers.
Yemen: Abdul Malik al-Houthi expressed readiness for national dialogue; Yemeni army attacks pockets of resistance near Sa’ada city; Germany announces humanitarian aid donation to Yemen; thirteen have died from swine flu as the number of cases rises to 921.
Horn of Africa: Kenyan police arrest American entering Somalia; al-Shabaab amputated hand and foot from convicted thieves in Kismayo; Hizb al-Islam attacked government outpost in Hiraan; Mogadishu’s port closed five consecutive days due to dispute; France to train additional 3,000 Somali soldiers.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels attacked Sa'ada city and shelled the town of Harf Sufyan; Yemeni authorities increase security to prevent entry of Somali jihadists; U.S. acknowledges possible Iranian involvement with the al-Houthi rebels and says there is no place for outsiders in the conflict.
Horn of Africa: A senior member of Hizb al-Islam was gunned down in Mogadishu; Somali police warn against future attacks on peacekeepers; Puntland condemns Ethiopian raid into Galkayo; Somali Prime Minister meets with the UN official to discuss reopening of UN offices in Mogadishu and AU troops.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels claim control over northern-most district of the Sa’ada governorate; Egypt authorized by Arab League to assist Yemen; Yemen’s Parliament calls for end to insurgency.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam fighters set up new base in Elgal village, previously occupied by government troops; agreement reached by al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam over Kismayo; Medina hospital in Mogadishu receives threats from Islamists; Russia agrees to help France train Somali soldiers in Djibouti.
Yemen: Yemeni army kills forty-one al-Houthi rebels and destroys five trucks carrying explosives; Riyadh expresses concern over al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen; al-Houthi's son participates in blood donation drive to help soldiers fighting the al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab announces agreement with Hizb al-Islam to end dispute; Uganda mistakenly arrests Somali official; Hizb al-Islam announces capture of foreign fighters; Somali pirates mistakenly attacked French flagship.
Yemen: Local mediation efforts between the government and al-Houthi rebels may be underway; Southern Movement supporters demonstrate in southern provinces during talks between Arab League and Yemeni government; a large explosion went off in Abyan province near military brigade; second Yemeni fighter plane down in north; Yemeni authorities confiscate ammunitions.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam claims victory in southern towns outside of Kismayo; warplanes spotted flying low over Mogadishu; hijacked Spanish tuna trawler still in pirates’ custody; Somali president says solution to country’s problems “easy.”
Yemen: Police arrest al-Houthi rebels in western province of Hodeida; five injured in southern Yemen during protests and al-Houthi rebels release video of downed plane; head mediator between the government and al-Houthi rebels on top of government weapons dealers blacklist; President Saleh met with Admiral William McRaven to discuss partnership against al-Qaeda.
Horn of Africa: Clashes broke out between al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam in southern Somalia; in Mogadishu, al-Shabaab imposes strict rules; a member of Hizb al-Islam’s administration was assassinated in Beledweyn; FBI warns that al-Shabaab may attack U.S.; the EU suspended delivery of funds to AU.
Yemen: Yemeni military denies al-Houthi claims of shooting down MiG 21; the government arrested 24 al-Houthi rebels, including one from Yemen’s most wanted list; two men arrested in connection with failed assassination attempt in south; Civil Defense delegation to attend a disaster management symposium in Riyadh.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam imposes curfew in Beledweyn; Puntland bans broadcast of the VOA Somalia Service; the U.S. withholds aid from Somalia following concerns that aid is funneled to al-Shabaab; President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appealed for increased support from the U.S. during first visit to Washington, DC.
Yemen: Southern Movement leader Tariq al-Fadhli has been accused by the government of involvement in an assassination attempt; nineteen injured and one killed in clashes in al-Dhale in southern Yemen; Ministry of Defense reports twenty-eight al-Houthi rebels killed, eleven arrested in north; Somali refugees continue to arrive in Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Fighting between Hizb al-Islam and al-Shabaab has broken out in Kismayo; two beheaded bodies found in Mogadishu; Uganda appeals for change in AMISOM mandate; agreement signed in Somaliland to end election crisis; Ahmed Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Envoy for Somalia, publishes open letter to diaspora.
Yemen: Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni wing looks for financial support in Saudi Arabia; two wanted Saudi militants killed in fighting in the north; southern clashes in al-Dale and Lahj provinces leave nineteen injured; Saudi Arabia gives $2 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Residents of Kismayo flee impending violence after al-Shabaab declares war on Hizb al-Islam; government troops withdraw from recently re-occupied Beledweyne; military spokesman asserts that AU peacekeeping forces are not behind the shelling of Mogadishu bazaar; IDP’s protest closure of WFP feeding centers in Bosaso.
Yemen: The Yemeni military continues to attack al-Houthi rebel positions in the north; fighting between southern separatists and security forces continues in Abyan province; Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Muthana appealed for increased assistance from the international community for Somali refugees; trial of Somali pirates opened in Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam and al-Shabaab continue to argue over the administration of Kismayo and move troops into the city; the OIC appealed to the UN Security Council for a UN peacekeeping presence in Somalia and the closure of Somalia’s seaports; Germany will back France’s efforts to train Somali soldiers in Djibouti; shelling in Mogadishu kills at least eleven people and injures over thirty more.
Yemen: Security forces clash with southern separatists in Abyan province; Abdul Malik al-Houthi releases statement vowing to continue the fight; seven Somalis arrested for fighting in support of al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab publicly executes two men accused of spying in Mogadishu; government troops regain control over Beledweyne; President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed blamed foreign extremists for the rebellion at the UN General Assembly; the FBI is investigating whether an American was one of the suicide bombers in the attack against the AU base.
Yemen: Over seventy people have died in Sa’ada city during intense fighting; a military source reports offensive gains by Yemeni army against al-Houthi rebels; UNHCR approves of Yemeni report on human rights.
Horn of Africa: Somali, Ugandan, and Burundi officials meet to discuss AU peacekeeping mission; fighting erupts between government forces and Hizb al-Islam fighters in Mogadishu; UNHCR report reviews plight of Somalis; Somali pirates attack ship near Mogadishu harbor.
Yemen: Officials announce capture of two al-Houthi rebel leaders and rebels release video of captured Yemeni soldiers; the United States calls for ceasefire and pledges additional $3 million in humanitarian assistance; the World Food Program releases report saying that one in three Yemenis face extreme hunger; Yemeni press members protest most recent arrest of a journalist.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam denounces creation of new administration in Kismayo appointed by al-Shabaab; al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam disagree over administration of Gedo region; governor of Beledweyne announces that he is joining Hizb al-Islam; al-Shabaab militants execute Christians under Shari’a law.
Yemen: Local source reports mutiny within al-Houthi ranks; 50 al-Houthi rebels killed during attacks in Almalaheez and Manbeh; supplies in refugee camps in Sa’ada region running out; Yemeni police seize large quantities of fuel destined for al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Ugandan president calls for U.S. support of AMISOM troops; fighting between government and AU soldiers and Islamist rebels in Mogadishu kills at least ten civilians; Somali government declares presence of Eritrean officers in key southern coastal town of Kismayo; Kenya increases security forces along Somali border; UN envoy requests creation of high-security green zone in Mogadishu.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels ask for independently monitored ceasefire; government forces kill 13 al-Houthi rebels outside of Aal Oqab in Sa’ada; UN Refugee Agency appeals for aid corridor; Yemeni Minister of Human Rights will participate in 12th session of the Human Rights Council.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab proclaims allegiance to bin Laden in video; U.S. reiterates support for the AU mission in Somalia; Ethiopian ONLF denies any cooperation with al-Shabaab; al-Shabaab establishes new administrative system with cooperation of clan elders in Middle Shabelle region.
Yemen: The Eid al-Fitr ceasefire between the al-Houthi rebels and the government ended with a coordinated rebel attack on the presidential palace in Sa’ada; Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs Rashad al-Alimi discussed the logistics of aid distribution; report says nearly one-third of the population is below the poverty line; spread of swine flu causes health concern; 160 Ethiopians to be deported from Taiz governorate.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab attacked the border town of
