Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Explosion wounds two in Dhaleh; ceasefire committee suspends work due to violations; United Kingdom pledges £100 million in aid to Yemen

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab bans BBC; Hizb al Islam vows to silence Mogadishu radio stations

Yemen Security Brief

• An explosion wounded two during protests Thursday in the southern Yemeni town of Dhaleh. Elsewhere in the city police fired in the air to disperse crowds gathering to demand southern Yemen’s independence. Protests were also held in Habilain in Lahij province, and in Lawder and Mudiyah in Abyan province.[1]

• A ceasefire committee in Amran province suspended its work due to violations in the agreement by al Houthi rebels. The ceasefire committee said in a statement that the al Houthi rebels have not demonstrated a serious commitment to the truce since it was signed in February. Most recently, the ceasefire committee accused al Houthi rebels of stealing social security funds in the area.[2]

• Mike Foster, the United Kingdom’s Minister of the Department for International Development announced that the UK will provide £100 million in aid to local Yemeni communities over the next five years. The aid will be paid directly to Yemen’s Social Fund for Development, which operates throughout the country.[3]

Horn of Africa Brief

• Al Shabaab banned all BBC FM stations in areas under al Shabaab’s control and took over all of the BBC’s equipment. According to al Shabaab, the BBC’s “colonial and Christian agendas against Muslims and Islam… misled the Somali Muslim people and spreads propagandas supporting the apostate government.” Al Shabaab’s media office stated it had been investigating BBC and its programs for a long time.[4]

• Hizb al Islam announced that it will shut down any radio station that does not abide by its ban on music. The group ordered Mogadishu stations to stop airing music on April 3, 2010.[5]