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: Yemeni government forces killed al Houthi leaders Abbas Aaida and Abu Haider; negotiations for release of Japanese engineer fall through; Yemeni children protest child abuse in northern Yemen; GCC ministers places Yemen’s security at top of agenda for December meeting
Horn of Africa: Woman stoned to death for adultery and her boyfriend received 100 lashes; fighting erupts in Harardere, a pirate stronghold, after delivery of Spanish ransom; fighting in Mogadishu kills five, wounds eleven; a district commissioner in Mogadishu reports arrests; UN Security Council reiterates support for the Djibouti Peace Process and the African Union Mission to Somalia
Yemen Security Brief
Al Houthi leaders Abbas Aaida and Abu Haider were kill by Yemeni government forces in northern Yemen. Another commander, Yousif al-Madani, was injured in the clashes, but managed to escape capture by Yemeni forces. Yemeni forces “inflicted massive losses in terms of casualties and equipment,” against the al Houthi rebels.[1]
Takeo Mashimo, a Japanese engineer who was taken hostage, is still in the custody of a Yemeni tribe, despite earlier reports of his release. Reportedly, the Yemeni government and the tribe had brokered a deal that would have secured the release of Hussein Abdullah Hussein Jawb, who has reported ties to al Qaeda. The tribe would release Mashimo if the government guaranteed Jawb’s release within the next fifteen days; however, the tribe backed out of the deal and demanded that the government release Jawb by Friday.[2]
Yemeni children took to the streets in protest of child abuse in northern Yemen. Children walked to the United Nations Development Program office to deliver a letter for the UN Secretary General condemning the use of child soldiers by the al Houthi rebels. The letter reminded the United Nations of their duty to protect Yemeni children from being exploited as child soldiers.[3]
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministers are due to meet in December, with Yemen’s security high on the agenda of issues to be discussed, amongst other items. Members of the GCC will be coming together in December to find a “common strategy that guarantees security and stability for all and ensures prosperity for the nations.”[4]
Horn of Africa Security Brief
In Wajid, a town 250 miles northwest of Mogadishu, al Shabaab judge, Sheikh Ibrahim Abdirahman, found a 20-year-old woman divorcee and her 29-year-old boyfriend guilty of adultery. The woman was publicly stoned to death and her boyfriend received his sentence of 100 lashes Tuesday afternoon. This is the fourth known stoning for adultery over the past year.[5]
In the Mudug region in central Somalia, fighting broke out in Harardere town, which is a Somali pirate stronghold, shortly after Somali pirates received the ransom money from Spanish officials for a hijacked ship. Witnesses report two Somali pirates were wounded during the firefight.[6]
In the Shibis district in northeast Mogadishu, clashes between Somali government soldiers and al Shabaab killed five civilians and wounded eleven others.[7]
Officials from the Transitional Federal Government announced the arrest of several people in Mogadishu who were considered security threats. The District Commissioner of the Wadajir district in the south of Mogadishu said that troops were detaining those who had committed theft. He added that the TFG troops would liberate areas not under government control in Mogadishu.[8]
The UN Security Council reiterated its support for the Djibouti Peace Process through the Transitional Federal Charter, which establishes a political framework for a solution in Somalia, as well as its support for the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM). Additionally, the UNSC emphasized the role of international assistance in preparing Somali forces.[9]
