Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Government orders coastguard, navy to crack down on terrorism and piracy threats; Parliament recommends formation of committee to release unlawfully held detainees

Horn of Africa: Uganda president declares offensive role for Ugandan AMISOM troops; Uganda army spokesman says country can deploy 2,000 more troops; Kenyan security officials arrest Ugandan al Shabaab suspect in Nairobi; Somali MPs send letter to PM demanding appearance in parliament for no-confidence vote; global piracy attacks down 18 percent in first half of 2010

Yemen Security Brief  

• Officials ordered the coastguard and navy Wednesday to intensify coastal patrols to interdict terrorism, piracy, and drug smuggling suspects amid fears of increased illicit activity in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.[1]

• Parliament has recommended the formation of a committee to improve the rule of law in the government’s nationwide security efforts.  In particular, Parliament advised that the committee review the legal status of Yemen’s prisoners, release those who have been detained unlawfully, and punish individuals who ordered illegal arrests.[2]

• Uganda President Yoweri Museveni said he wants 20,000 African troops in Somalia to crush al Shabaab. He promised that Ugandan troops will begin offensive operations in Mogadishu, desspite AMISOM’s current mandate that only permits a defensive role.[3]

• Uganda’s army spokesman said the country can deploy an additional 2,000 troops to Somalia without the assistance of other African nations. However, he added that Uganda would prefer if those countries volunteered soldiers as well.[4]

• Kenyan security officials arrested a Ugandan man accused of belonging to al Shabaab and turned him over to Ugandan authorities. The man, Ali Issa Sekumba, claimed he was fleeing al Shabaab when police arrested him in Nairobi.[5]

• Al Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamed Rage, also known as Ali Dheere, issued a formal statement connecting the Kampala bombings to Ugandan intervention in Somalia and called on Muslims in Uganda to defend their Somali brethren.[6]

• Somali lawmakers sent a letter to PM Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke asking that he appear before the Parliament within 10 days to face a vote of no-confidence.[7]

• Global piracy attacks declined 18 percent to 196 in the first half of 2010 compared to the same period last year. The International Maritime Bureau said attacks off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden decreased to 98 from 144, the result of increased efforts by various navies.[8]