Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Ministry of Defense reports at least fourteen al Houthi rebels killed in Sa’ada; Yemen stated it signed a military cooperation deal with the U.S., but U.S. will not confirm; remaining Yemeni Jews under special protection in Sana’a; investment conference in Aden begins; Yemen authorities search for U.S. imam, Anwar al Awlaki 

Horn of Africa: Somali pirates capture Greek cargo ship and Yemeni fishing boat; Hizb al Islam divided over appointment of new Hiraan administration; Transitional Federal Government soldiers arrested for banditry; Somali Prime Minister Sharmarke returns from trip seeking funds promised in April

Yemen Security Brief

• According to the Ministry of Defense, at least fourteen al Houthi rebels were killed and dozens more injured in Sa’ada. The Ministry of the Interior reports that it has deployed the coast guard to prevent al Houthi rebels from leaving Yemen by sea.[1]

• Yemen reported that it has signed a military cooperation deal with the U.S.; however, the U.S. embassy would only confirm that talks had been held on joint counterterrorism efforts.[2]

• Yemen’s Jews are remaining under the special protection of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in Sana’a. Fighting between the al Houthi rebels and the Yemeni army since 2004 has forced the exodus of the entire Jewish community of al Salem in northern Yemen. In April 2007, the Jews received a written threat telling them to leave. Recently sixty Yemeni Jews immigrated to the U.S.[3] 

• An investment conference in Aden that opened today provides investors with the chance to explore investment opportunities in Yemen. The government has already taken steps towards promoting investment in trade in Yemen through the passing of investment laws, corporate laws, tax and custom laws, as well as other laws increasing transparency and accountability.[4]

• Yemen authorities are hunting Anwar al Awlaki, who is connected to the Fort Hood shooting suspect and has been previously arrested in Yemen for links to al Qaeda. Officials were unable to prove ties to al Qaeda following Awlaki’s arrest in 2006.[5]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali pirates have seized a Greek cargo ship and a Yemeni fishing boat. The Greek ship, the Filitsa, was taken about 1,000 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. On the U.A.E.-flagged ship taken last Sunday, a maritime security expert said that the ship was al Mezaan, originally Panama-flagged, and was carrying armored vehicles with U.N. logos.[6]

• Hizb al Islam’s decision to establish a new administration for the central region of Hiraan has been met with internal opposition. On Monday, Sheikh Shuriye Farah Sabriye was announced as the new governor; however, his appointment sparked controversy. Sheikh Adbullahi Qorey, a Hizb al Islam official in Beledweyne, accuses Shuriye of atrocities.[7]

• Police officials from the Transitional Federal Government have arrested more government soldiers in Mogadishu for committing “insecurity actions” against civilians within TFG-controlled territory. Other soldiers had been arrested earlier for banditry.[8]

• Somali Prime Minister, Omar Abdirashi Ali Sharmarke, returned to Somalia following a trip to European and African countries. A convoy of African Union peacekeepers escorted Sharmarke to the presidential palace. His delegation was seeking the funds promised in Brussels by donor countries in April.[9]