Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Security forces in al Udain, Ibb governorate arrest two suspected AQAP militants; Islah Party chairman withdraws from National Dialogue; Yemeni authorities refer case of two Egyptians who entered Yemen to fight for Ansar al Sharia to Yemeni prosecutor’s office; gunmen cut off road in Socotra to prevent transfer of 34 Somali convicts to al Mukalla, Hadramawt governorate; former First Armored Division soldiers convicted in attempted murder of Yemeni Socialist Party secretary-general; tribal militants attack military checkpoint in al Zawr, Sirwah, Ma’rib governorate; Southern Movement youth attempt to storm shopping center in al Mukalla, Hadramawt; tribal gunmen clash in Shabwah governorate

Horn of Africa: IED detonates in Mandera, Kenya; IED accidentally detonates in Dinsor, Bay region; al Shabaab arrests ten and kills a spiritual leader in Hudur, Bakool region; Kenya-based Muslim Youth Center announces death of Kenyan jihadist; Somali federal government sends a delegation to Kismayo, Lower Jubba region; government and military leaders meet in Baidoa, Bay region; European Union pledges €33 million to AMISOM

Yemen Security Brief

• Security forces in al Udain, Ibb governorate arrested two suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants, including one with a suicide vest, on March 19.[1]

• Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah al Yadoumi, chairman of the Islah Party, announced his withdrawal from the Yemeni National Dialogue conference on March 19.[2]

• Yemeni authorities referred the case of two Egyptians who had entered Yemen to fight for Ansar al Sharia in Abyan governorate to the Yemeni prosecutor’s office for trial, according to a March 19 report in Barakish Net.[3]

• Gunmen, including a Yemeni naval officer, on Socotra cut off the Hidaybu Airport Road on March 20, to prevent the movement of 34 Somali detainees to al Mukalla, Hadramawt governorate. The detainees have already been tried and convicted in a Socotra court.[4]

• Four soldiers and officers of the former First Armored Division were sentenced to prison on March 19 for the illegal search and attempted murder of Yemeni Socialist Party Secretary-General Dr. Yassin Saeed Noman in August 2012.[5]

• Tribal militants attacked a military checkpoint in al Zawr, Sirwah, Ma’rib governorate on March 19. Two people were killed and six, including two soldiers, were wounded in the incident.[6]

• Rioting Southern Movement youth attempted to storm the “Mukalla Mall,” a shopping center when its owner refused to comply with Southern Movement calls to shut down businesses in al Mukalla, Hadramawt governorate on March 19.[7]

• Gunmen from the al Karb tribe clashed with gunmen from the al ‘Asfoor al Bareek tribes in Shabwah governorate on March 19, over a water-related dispute. One was killed and another wounded in the incident.[8]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in Mandera, Kenya on March 19, killing one Kenyan police officer and injuring two others. The IED detonated when one of the officers stepped on it. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.[9]

• An IED accidentally detonated in an al Shabaab military base in Dinsor, Bay region on March 20. Four militants were killed in the blast and nine others were injured.[10]

• Al Shabaab arrested ten civilians in Hudur, Bakool region on March 18. Additionally, one of the two victims al Shabaab killed on March 18 was a spiritual leader in Hudur. He was beheaded and his body was dumped near his home.[11]

• The Kenya-based Muslim Youth Center (MYC) released a statement detailing the death of a jihadist fighter in Nairobi, Kenya on March 17. The fighter was shot and killed while leaving a mosque. MYC said that this killing would not weaken the resolve of Kenyan jihadists.[12]

• The Somali federal government announced that a government delegation is traveling to Kismayo, Lower Jubba region. This visit coincides with the resumption of the Jubbaland convention taking place in Kismayo.[13]

• Government and military leaders met in Baidoa, Bay region on March 19 to discuss ongoing security concerns for the city and region.[14]

• The European Union pledged €33 million to AMISOM on March 19, in order to allow the mission to continue its fighting, training and operational capacities in Somalia.[15]