Gulf of Aden Security Review

Yemen: Gunman kills Red Cross employees in Amran; Taiz residents suffer from al Houthi siege

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab claims retaliation in Janale base attack; U.S. delegation promises more military aid to Somalia

Yemen Security Brief

• An unknown gunman murdered two Yemeni Red Cross employees in the northern province of Amran on September 2. The Red Cross field officer and driver were traveling from Sa’ada province to the capital of Sana’a. The motivation behind the attack remains unknown.[1]

• The United Nations announced on September 1 that al Houthi militias and forces loyal to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh are currently besieging more than 300,000 residents in the southern Yemeni city of Taiz. The residents face daily random shelling, as well as increasingly limited supplies of food, water, and medicine.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab claimed that it conducted the September 1 attack on Janale military base, which killed at least 20 African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) soldiers, in retaliation for the civilian deaths allegedly caused by Ugandan AMISOM members.[3]

• The U.S. delegation to Somalia pledged more U.S. military assistance to develop Somalia’s military capabilities and infrastructure, as part of ongoing efforts to combat extremism in the country. [4]