Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: President Hadi requests al Houthi militants to leave all cities; IED kill 21 al Houthis in al Bayda; tribal militants and Ansar al Sharia gunmen fight with al Houthi rebels in al Bayda; AQAP attacks base in Shabwah

Horn of Africa: Suspected al Shabaab militants detonate car bomb in Mogadishu; al Shabaab’s media branch releases a video of raid in Lower Shabelle region; AMISOM and Somali National Army forces clash with al Shabaab militants in Lower Jubba region; unidentified gunmen target Somali official in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi asked al Houthi militants to depart from all cities, including Sana’a, in a televised address on October 26. President Hadi described the al Houthi control of various cities as an “occupation,” and declared that only the Yemeni military is qualified to combat terrorism.[1]

• Suspected Ansar al Sharia militants detonated a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) targeting al Houthi supporters in Rada’a, al Badya on October 26, leading to the deaths of 21 al Houthi militants.[2]

• Ansar al Sharia gunmen pushed back al Houthi militants from Rada’a, al Bayda on October 25, killing dozens and capturing 12 al Houthi militants. Al Houthi militants later attacked Ansar al Sharia near Rada’a in al Manaseh, al Bayda on October 26, killing ten civilians. Separately, an unidentified air strike killed three Ansar al Sharia militants in Manaseh, al Bayda on October 24.[3]

• Suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants attacked a military base in Shabwah on October 27. No casualties have been reported. Separately, unidentified assailants detonated a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) in Tarim, Hadramawt on October 27.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Suspected al Shabaab militants detonated a car bomb along Makka al Mukarama road in Mogadishu, killing one and wounding five on October 27. Security forces arrested multiple suspects, including the alleged owner of the vehicle.[5] 

• Al Shabaab’s media branch, al Kataib Media Foundation, released a video on October 24 depicting the preparation and execution of a raid on Janale, Lower Shabelle region. The video additionally shows violence against Muslims by Christian militias in Central African Republic (CAR).[6]
   
• Kenyan African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Somali National Army (SNA) forces fought al Shabaab militants, reportedly killing more than eighty militants, near Jamame, Lower Jubba region on October 24. Separately, AMISOM and Jubbaland security forces seized territory from al Shabaab militants in Kuda Island, Lower Jubba region on October 26, resulting in an unknown number of casualties. The incidents come as AMISOM and SNA forces are continuing an advance towards al Shabaab safe havens in Lower Jubba and Middle Jubba regions. [7]   

• Unidentified gunmen attempted to assassinate Somali Member of Parliament, Abdullahi Rooble, in the Hodan district of Mogadishu on October 26. Roble sustained light injuries after the gunmen dressed as security forces began firing on his vehicle.[8]