Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Yemeni army escalation leads to al Houthi leaders’ surrender; al Jawf tribesmen block al Houthi rebels’ attempt to  open new front; Yemeni army hits al Houthi strongholds in old city of Sa’ada; clashes in Dhaleh province over elections kill two people; Yemeni Ministry of Communications and Information Technology declares investigation into NewsYemen attack

Horn of Africa: Clashes in Mogadishu between al Shabaab and government forces kill at least ten people; Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a denies report of peace deal with government; nine people killed in two separate mosque-attacks; Somali police warn of future suicide attacks and Kenya arrests over 300 accused of al Shabaab ties; President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed vowed to defeat opposition groups following the Shamo Hotel suicide bombing

Yemen Security Brief

• Leaders of the al Houthi rebels have begun to surrender themselves to Yemeni security forces.  On Saturday, ten surrendered at the military headquarters in Sa’ada in Harf Sufyan, several of whom were from among the al Houthi leaders and the prominent al Shahwani family.  Included were Fares Nasser al Shahwani and Jamil Ali al Shahwani, who were reportedly field leaders of the al Houthi rebels in Harf Sufyan.  In addition, six field leaders were killed in fierce fighting in Harf Sufyan: Zakaria Hassan al Houthi, Yahya Mohammed (Abu Salem), Ali Dhaif Allah al Khawlani (Abdullah Khatir), Yahya Hussein al Houthi, and Musfer al Namer, a communications specialist.  Sources add that three field leaders were referred to the prosecution for charges of participating in an armed rebellion. The Yemeni Army now controls positions in Harf Sufyan, including the heights overlooking the Sufyan-Jawf road.  Sources report that Yahya Hussein Hoi, considered a rebel leader, was killed in clashes and that many others were killed in Wadi Mathab.  In addition, the army might have killed the al Houthi explosives expert, Musfi al Namir, in Jebel al Damigh.[1]

• Tribesmen from al Jawf and al Houthi rebels clashed in the Khab district along the highway leading to Sa’ada.  Abdul Malik al Houthi announced that the rebellion would spread and would open a new front there.[2]

• In Sa’ada province, clashes erupted Monday morning following a lull over the weekend after an al Houthi rebel shot and killed a soldier.  The army has taken several al Houthi positions in the old city of Sa’ada.[3]

• Clashes erupted between civilians and security forces in Dhaleh province during elections for vacant parliamentary seats.  Two people were killed and seven others injured, including a police chief and a policeman.  Al Sahwa reports that the clashes resumed Friday when security forces attacked armed civilians with tanks.  Southern Movement supporters engaged in the demonstrations that followed mass arrests of those opposing the elections.  Violence and a low-turnout have marred these most recent elections.[4]

• The Yemeni Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Kamal al Jabri, assured that the Ministry would investigate the cyber attack on the NewsYemen website.  Reportedly, it will take three months to repair the website, and technical teams are attempting to restore over thirty-five thousand articles.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Clashes in Mogadishu have killed at least ten civilians and injured scores more.  Fighting erupted when al Shabaab attacked government bases in Shibis and Bondere districts.  On Saturday night, al Shabaab militants surprised government forces in Daynile district, resulting in the deaths of three people and the injury of six others.[6]

• Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a has denied reports that it has entered into a peace deal with the Somali Transitional Federal Government.  A statement by the Interior Minister Sheikh Abdukadir Ali Omar and some Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a clerics said on Saturday that the two sides had a deal.[7]

• Gunmen opened fire in a mosque in Beledweyne killing one person and injuring three others, all of whom were businessmen from prominent families.  No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.  In a second mosque-attack, al Shabaab militants attacked a mosque in the town of Basra, northwest of Mogadishu, saying that those inside were “apostates.”  At least seven people were killed, including two al Shabaab militants, and thirteen others injured, according to an eyewitness.[8]  

• Somali police have warned of more suicide attacks.  Reportedly, al Shabaab has disguised two bombers as high ranking military and police officers and plan to strike Mogadishu’s seaport and airport.  In Kenya, over 300 people have been arrested in a predominately Somali neighborhood, who, according to a local councilor, have been categorized as al Shabaab members.[9]

• President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed vowed that the Transitional Federal Government would eradicate the country of all groups opposed to it and that he would avenge for the Shamo Hotel suicide bombing.  Former President Abdi Kassim Salat Hassan also condemned the attack saying that those who attack the country’s intellectuals are its foes.  In addition, the former president said that he holds the same group responsible for the attack as the one that killed Somali Security Minister Omar Aden Hashi and also said that Ethiopia and the U.S. played an indirect role.  Somaliland’s President Dahir Riyale Kahin has called for cooperation amongst those supporting the government.[10]