Gulf of Aden Security Review
A regularly updated review of both Yemen and the Horn of Africa covering topics related to security, governance, and militant activity.
Yemen: Suspected al Houthi forces kill Emirati officer in southwestern Saudi Arabia; UAE-backed forces clash with al Houthis south of al Hudaydah; Hadi government-aligned forces intercept al Houthi drone in al Jawf
Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab militants assassinate police officer in Mogadishu; al Shabaab militants kill district officials in Middle Shabelle region; Nigerian and Somali intelligence chiefs meet in Mogadishu
Yemen Security Brief
Suspected al Houthi forces killed a Corporal in the UAE military near the Yemeni border in region in southwestern Saudi Arabia on November 13.[1]
Forces from the UAE-backed Giants Brigades clashed with al Houthi forces south of in western Yemen on November 13. The Giants Brigades claimed to kill an al Houthi commander, Abu Jaafar Talbi, along with dozens of al Houthi soldiers.[2]
Yemeni forces aligned with President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government shot down an al Houthi drone in al Jawf governorate in northern Yemen on November 14.[3]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
Al Shabaab militants assassinated a Somali police officer in the Wadajir district of Somalia’s capital, , on November 13. Somali police arrested two suspects who attempted to flee the scene. A Somali military court separately sentenced two al Shabaab militants to death for carrying out assassinations in Mogadishu and sentenced two others to life in prison for assassination attempts.[4]
Al Shabaab militants killed a district chief and his deputy in an ambush on the outskirts of Balad town, located approximately 20 miles north of Mogadishu, on November 13.[5]
The head of Nigeria’s National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar, traveled to Mogadishu on November 12 to meet with his Somali counterpart, Fahad Yasin, the head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency. The officials signed a memorandum of understanding outlining counterterrorism cooperation.[6]
Visit our Yemen and Somalia storystreams.
[1] “Emirati soldier in Arab coalition fighting in Yemen killed in Najran,” Arab News, November 13, 2019, https://www.arabnews.com/node/1583711/middle-east.
[2] “Yemeni army kills dozens of Houthis in clashes in Hodeidah,” al Bawaba, November 13, 2019, https://www.albawaba.com/ar/%D8%A3%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%86%D9%8A-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%85%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AF%D8%A9-1320965.
[3] “Army forces fall ‘Houthi’ marched in Jawf,” 7adramout.net, November 14, 2019, https://www.7adramout.net/alyamanalarab/amp/7221277.
[4] Tuuryare, Abdirisak, “Somali Police Arrest 2 Suspects After Assassination,” Mareeg, November 13, 2019, https://mareeg.com/somali-police-arrest-2-suspects-after-assassination/; Tuuryare, Abdirisak, “Somalia: Al-Shabaab men sentenced to death,” Mareeg, November 14, 2019, https://mareeg.com/somalia-al-shabaab-men-sentenced-to-death/.
[5] “2 gov't officials killed by Al-Shabab activists in Somalia,” MENA FN, November 14, 2019, https://menafn.com/1099273013/2-govt-officials-killed-by-Al-Shabab-activists-in-Somalia.
[6] “Nigeria’s spy chief pays secret visit to Somalia, meets with Fahad Yasin,” Garowe, November 13, 2019, https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/nigerias-spy-chief-pays-secret-visit-to-somalia-meets-with-fahad-yasin.
