Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Al Houthi delegation to reject any plan that does not meet demands; Ould Cheikh Ahmed condemns illegal arrests; al Houthi and government forces clash in al Dhaleh governorate; al Houthi and government forces clash in al Dhabab, Taiz city; Yemeni army continues search for downed Emirati helicopter in Aden; al Houthi militias rob civilians in Amran

Horn of Africa: AMISOM forces mistakenly kill civilians following IED attack; al Shabaab occupies the town of El Ali, Hiraan region; UNHCR asks Kenyatta to extend Dadaab closure deadline

Yemen Security Brief

• The al Houthi delegation at the Kuwait peace talks stated that it is ready to reject any United Nations agreement that does not meet its requests. Al Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam stated that his faction would reject any UN agreement that does not “meet the demands of the Yemeni people” in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. The al Houthis are prioritizing the formation of a national transitional government and safeguarding their political interests in the reconciliation process. UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed outlined a plan for political reconciliation at the Kuwait talks on June 13 that included reversing all changes made to state institutions by the al Houthi Revolutionary Committee.[1]

• UN Special Envoy for Yemen Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed condemned illegal arrests and bombings of houses conducted by al Houthi forces, stressing that such actions are incompatible with international human rights law and the values ??and ethics of Yemen. Ould Cheikh Ahmed added that he is counting on all Yemeni parties to eventually reach a final agreement, stressing that this long road to peace has not been easy at all.[2]

• Al Houthi and government forces clashed in Maris, al Dhaleh governorate. Al Houthi forces suffered dozens of casualties. Popular resistance forces are besieging al Houthi forces in Yais, on the outskirts of Maris.[3]

• Al Houthi fighters clashed with government forces in al Dhabab, western Taiz city, leaving four dead and 20 injured, including civilians. Government and popular resistance forces rebuffed attempts by al Houthi forces to advance in Thu’bat and Kalaba, Taiz.[4]

• Yemeni army helicopters and naval vessels continued to search for the wreckage of an Emirati helicopter that crashed on June 13 on the Buraiqa coast, near Aden. This incident came one day after a similar crash on June 12, in which an Emirati helicopter crashed in international waters during routine operations, killing its captain and crew.[5]

• Al Houthi militias robbed Yemeni nationals returning from Saudi Arabia in Amran governorate on June 14. The al Houthi militias appropriated these unknown sums of money for their war effort.[6]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops inadvertently killed two civilians and wounded two others in the aftermath of an improvised explosive device (IED) near Afgooye, Lower Shabelle region on June 14. The passing soldiers opened fire on the group after militants remotely detonated an IED in the road as they passed. No casualties were reported from the explosion.[7]

• Al Shabaab militants occupied the town of El Ali in Hiraan region on June 13 after Ethiopian AMISOM troops withdrew. AMISOM described the withdrawal as a military tactic. Al Shabaab and AMISOM forces continue to fight for control of the centrally located Hiraan region.  Al Shabaab attacked the AMISOM base in Halgan, Hiraan region on June 9.[8]

• The United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) requested that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta extend the timeline for the closing of the Dadaab refugee camp on June 14. Kenyatta announced that his decision to close the camp by November was final on June 13. The Kenyans cited fears that al Shabaab recruits at Dadaab, which houses approximately 300,000 Somali refugees.[9]