Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Al Houthis shell Damaj, Sa’ada; AQAP attacks security officer in Shabwah; security forces seize RPGs and explosive belts; IED explodes in Hadramawt

Horn of Africa: Kenyan police arrest al Shabaab recruiter; Somali government announces new rehabilitation and training centers for al Shabaab defectors; Somali forces kill 11 member of local militia in Lower Shabelle region; AMISOM expresses concern with political tensions; al Shabaab burns vehicles transporting alcohol

Yemen Security Brief

• The al Houthis shelled Damaj, Sa’ada governorate on November 17, killing eight people and wounding eleven. The al Houthis used tanks, mortars, and artillery to target the Salafist school Dar al Hadith in Damaj. A presidential and parliamentary delegation reached a ceasefire with leaders on November 18. However, Salafist sources reported that clashes with al Houthis continued in Kataf and renewed in Damaj after the committee left.[1]

• Gunmen suspected to be from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) attacked a security officer in Mayfa’a, Shabwah governorate on November 18. The officer survived the attack, but is in critical condition at the hospital. Security forces were on high alert after the attack.[2]

• Security forces seized a car carrying dozens of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) shells in al Mukalla, Hadramawt governorate on November 17. Security forces also found and disarmed two explosive belts in Zinjibar, Abyan governorate. The explosives were hidden near a popular committee site.[3]

• An improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a police car exploded in Sayun, Hadramawt governorate on November 17. There were no injuries or damage to the car.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan police arrested a suspected al Shabaab recruiter in Nyeri, Kenya on November 18.[5]

• Somali Federal Government announced the establishment of religious rehabilitation and skills-training centers for al Shabaab defectors in Dhusamareb, Galgudud region on November 17.[6]

• Somali forces killed 11 members of a local militia during a scuffle in Lower Shabelle region on November 18. Reports indicated that the local militia sparked the fighting over disaffection for federal troops in the region. [7]

• AMISOM officials expressed concerns over the current political tension between President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon. [8]

• Al Shabaab militants set fire to vehicles transporting alcohol in Dinsor, Bay region on November 18.[9]