Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Al Houthi militants shell Yemeni State TV building in Sana’a; Yemeni army tanks surround arrive at President Hadi’s residence; Yemeni Air Force launches strikes in Sana’a; UN Special Envoy to Yemen leaves negotiations al Houthi leader in Sa’ada; suspected AQAP gunmen assassinate Yemeni military official in Taiz

Horn of Africa: Unidentified assailants attack café in Kenya’s North Eastern Province; Civilians protest security issues in Mogadishu and Kenya’s North Eastern Province

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi militants shelled the Yemeni State TV headquarters in Sana’a on September 18, amidst a continuation of clashes against Yemeni soldiers and al Islah party tribesmen in northwestern Sana’a. The Yemeni 314th Armored Brigade arrived at the TV headquarters on September 19 to assist in combatting the al Houthi militants. Additionally, international airlines suspended flights to and from Sana’a International Airport, while the airport itself allegedly announced a closure of at least 24 hours on September 19. Lastly, communications, including telephone and internet services, were cut in Sana’a on September 18 but were restored hours later.[1]

• Yemeni Army tanks arrived at the home of President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi in Sana’a on September 19, as al Houthi forces continue to fight in the northwestern sections of the capital.[2]

• The Yemeni Air Force launched airstrikes against al Houthi positions in Shamlan and along Thalathin Street in northwestern Sana’a on September 19.[3]

• The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, left negotiations with al Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi in Sa’ada on September 19. Abdul Malik al Houthi sent two delegates to Sana’a to complete negotiations. It remains unclear whether a deal will be reached.[4]

• Suspected al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) gunmen assassinated Colonel Mustafa Qudsi in Taiz on September 18. Separately, AQAP militants attacked a military outpost al Abr, Hadramawt on September 19, killing two soldiers.[5]

Horn of Africa Brief 

• Unidentified assailants conducted grenade attack on a café, injuring eight civilians, in Wajir in Kenya’s North Eastern Province on September 19.[6] 

• Hundreds of Mogadishu residents protested against AMISOM’s accidental killing of a nine year-old civilian in the capital on September 18. Separately, civilians demonstrated against the 18 September shooting of three civilians in Garissa in Kenya’s North Eastern Province on September 19. Kenyan police dispersed the crowds with tear gas.[7]