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: AQAP produces chant praising JNIM; al Houthi delegation leaves Sana’a for Switzerland in anticipation of UN-led peace talks with Hadi’s government; Hadi government–aligned forces claim retaking al Houthi–held territory in Sana’a governorate
Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab releases video of fighters giving livestock to civilians; al Shabaab publishes photos of SVBIED attack on joint US-Somali convoy in Lower Jubba region; al Shabaab militants kill leader of Somali militia in Hiraan region; suspected al Shabaab militants detonate roadside bomb in Mogadishu
Yemen Security Brief:
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s (AQAP) audio production unit released a chant on September 8 praising al Qaeda’s Malian affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al Islam wa al Muslimeen. AQAP published a report assessing the effects 9/11 had on the US in its weekly magazine “Inspire” on September 13.[i]
An al Houthi delegation flew from the Yemeni capital to the Swiss capital on September 15. The al Houthi officials are to meet with a delegation from the internationally recognized Yemeni government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the UN Envoy to Yemen. The meeting is intended to result in a prisoner exchange, which is one of the key stipulations of the December 2018 Stockholm Agreement.[ii]
Hadi government–aligned forces claimed retaking control of al Houthi–held areas in Nihm district in central Yemen’s Sana’a governorate on September 15. Hadi government–aligned forces clashed with al Houthi militants in Nihm district in mid-August.[iii]
Horn of Africa Security Brief:
Al Shabaab released a two-part video of its militants giving livestock to Somali civilians as part of a video series on September 10 and 14, respectively. The footage showed fighters distributing camels, sheep, and other animals to civilians living under their control across Somalia.[iv]
Al Shabaab published photos on September 14 of the aftermath of its suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack targeting a joint US-Somali convoy in Somalia’s Lower Jubba region on September 7. The attack occurred in Janaa Cabdalle area, roughly 30 miles west of Kismayo city. It killed three Somali soldiers, wounded two others, and one American soldier.[v]
Al Shabaab killed the leader of the Ma’awisley militia near Beledweyne town in central Somalia’s Hiraan region on September 13. Somali officials reported that 20 al Shabaab militants raided the leader’s house before shooting him. Local reports claimed that the Ma’awisley militia attacked al Shabaab militants in Hiraan region in March.[vi]
Suspected al Shabaab militants detonated a roadside bomb in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on September 15. The explosion killed six civilians and wounded two others. Al Shabaab attacked an African Union Mission to Somalia base outside Mogadishu in early September.[vii]
[i] “AQAP-Produced Chant Glorifies Fellow AQ Branch JNIM,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 14, 2020, available by subscription at www.siteintelgroup.com; and Jessica Kocan, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – September 14, 2020,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, September 14, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-september-14-2020.
[ii] “Urgent: Houthi delegation leaves Sana’a airport for Geneva,” Al Mashhad al Yemeni, September 15, 2020, https://www.almashhad-alyemeni.com/178804; “A UN plane arrives at Sana’a airport to transport the Houthi delegation to Switzerland,” 7adramout, September 15, 2020, https://www.7adramout.net/almashhadalaraby/7488767/%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%85%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%B5%D9%84-%D8%A5%D9%84%D9%89-%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B5%D9%86%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D9%84%D9%86%D9%82%D9%84-%D9%88%D9%81%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%B1%D8%A7.html; and Jessica Kocan, “Yemen File: AQAP Emir Rallies Group Under New Leadership Before Plotting External Attacks,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, March 9, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/yemen-file/AQAP-Emir-Rallies-Group-Under-New-Leadership.
[iii] “National Army announces taking control of new sites and seizing vehicles in Nihm, east of Sana’a,” Al Mashhad al Yemeni, September 15, 2020, https://www.almashhad-alyemeni.com/178798; and Matthew Eady and Jessica Kocan, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – August 19, 2020,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, August 19, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-august-19-2020.
[iv] “Shabaab Documents Charitable Giving of Livestock to Somali Civilians in 5th Episode of Video Series,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 15, 2020, available by subscription at www.siteintelgroup.com.
[v] “Shabaab Gives ‘Exclusive’ Photos of Joint U.S.-Somali Base Evacuated Following Suicide Bombing,” SITE Intelligence Group, September 14, 2020, available by subscription at www.siteintelgroup.com; and Rahma Bayrakdar and Jessica Kocan, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – September 9, 2020,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, September 9, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-september-9-2020.
[vi] “Anti-al Shabaab militia leader killed in Somalia,” Garowe, September 16, 2020, https://www.garoweonline.com/en/news/somalia/anti-alshabaab-militia-leader-killed-in-somalia; and Samuel Bloebaum and Pamela Makadsi, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – March 5, 2020,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, March 5, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-march-5-2020.
[vii] “Deadly blast kills six people in Somalia,” Mareeg, September 15, 2020, https://mareeg.com/deadly-blast-kills-six-people-in-somalia/; and Jessica Kocan, “Gulf of Aden Security Review – September 14, 2020,” Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute, September 14, 2020, https://www.criticalthreats.org/briefs/gulf-of-aden-security-review/gulf-of-aden-security-review-september-14-2020.
