The Critical Threats Project Gulf of Aden Security Review provides daily updates on the security situation in Yemen and the Horn of Africa.
(The Critical Threats Project is developing a site focused specifically on the threat posed by al-Qaeda and Associated Movements (AQAM); until that site reaches production, related pieces will be posted on the IranTracker site).
Yemen: Trial of MP Yahya al-Houthi begins in absentia; two soldiers killed and three wounded during attack by armed gunmen in al-Dhale; twenty-one al-Houthi rebels killed and twelve arrested in Sa’ada and Amran; gunmen blocked Ma’rib road demanding release of arms from ship that is under investigation by Parliament; Yemeni president met with American ambassador to Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab militants publicly execute to men accused of espionage in Merca; Hizb al-Islam accuses Somali journalists of being aligned with the government; Djibouti claims Eritrea supports Somali Islamist insurgents; at least three dead and twenty wounded during shelling of Sug Ba’ad in Mogadishu; Kenya admits to training of Somali police officers for the Transitional Federal Government.
Yemen: Security forces in Taiz arrest members of the new “Popular Movement for Justice and Change”; MP’s accuse figures tied to regime of involvement in arms trafficking as ship reportedly with Chinese-made weapons anchors off coast of Hodeida; around 200 Somali refugees reach Yemeni coast; Reporters Without Borders ranks Yemen 167 out of 175 in Press Freedom Index.
Horn of Africa: Somali Transitional Federal Government and al-Shabaab declare escalation of operations; African leaders ratify convention on internally-displaced persons; advanced U.S. military drones to patrol off Somali coast for pirates.
Yemen: Yemen intensifies security along coast to prevent smuggling; clashes reported between Yemenis and Saudi forces over border fence
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab attacks Mogadishu airport; Hizb al-Islam chairman said fighting to continue until Somalia has Islamic government; Islamist fighting near Kismayo kills twelve
Yemen: President Ali Abdullah Saleh discussed security threats to Yemen; 52 al-Houthi rebels and six soldiers were killed in battle in Sa’ada province; Yemen turned over documentary evidence to Iran showing clerical involvement in northern conflict.
Horn of Africa: Fighting broke out in Kismayo between al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam; al-Shabaab closed two radio stations in central Somalia; Somali military confirms that soldiers are being trained in Kenya and other nearby countries; the Ogaden National Liberation Front declared victory over Ethiopian government troops and denied the surrender of top leaders.
Yemen: A surprise rebel-attack on an airport where arms are stored killed at least 80, primarily soldiers, in Razeh; Yemen denies Saudi involvement in northern conflict; Yemeni court sentences ten al-Houthi rebels to death, five to fifteen-year prison term; Yemen’s Foreign Minister announced willingness of government to participate in conditional talks.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab downs U.S. drone over Kismayo; Somali president calls for national dialogue; AU vehicle hit by landmine in Mogadishu; Somali pirates threaten to execute Chinese sailors.
Yemen: 44 al-Houthi rebels killed in air strikes near Saudi border; three Lebanese reportedly killed in northern Yemen; six Yemenis arrested by Saudi authorities in connection to al-Qaeda; twelve al-Houthi rebels sentenced in Yemen; President Saleh accuses al-Houthi rebels of receiving Iranian support.
Horn of Africa: Ethiopian troops reported to have withdrawn from key town in western Somalia; Somalis in Kenya say al-Shabaab recruits from Somali youth there; leader of Ogaden National Liberation Front surrenders to Ethiopian authorities leading to confiscation of explosives; al-Shabaab bans international aid agencies from regions it controls; Somali Prime Minister expected to reorganize Cabinet shortly.
Yemen: World Bank pledges $480 million over four years to Yemen for development; tribal chiefs call for government reinforcement against the al-Houthi rebels; Egypt to send assistance to Yemen in military plane.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab enforces strict Shari'a law in Mogadishu; al-Shabaab attacks AMISOM bases in Mogadishu; clashes occur between al-Shabaab and pro-government Ahlu Sunna Waljamaa in central Somalia; in Bakool, government soldiers gain control of Burdhuhle village; the Transitional Federal Government responds to South African allegations of Somalis planning terrorist attacks.
Yemen: Outlaws sever cable in Abyan province; weekly sit-in held in “Freedom Square” to demand rights; commencement of food and humanitarian aid deliveries to al-Ehsa camp.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam militants clash in Mogadishu; AU denies shelling of Bakara Market; Taliban fighters from Yemen reportedly join al-Shabaab; Interpol declares Somali piracy “organized crime.”
Yemen: Saleh promises victory over al-Houthis in north while al-Beidh calls for southern independence; al-Houthi rebels execute two and kidnap nine in the northern Razeh district; independent weekly newspaper, al-Masdar, banned from publishing; nine Somali pirates apprehended by Yemeni authorities in the Thubab coastal area.
Horn of Africa: Mogadishu clashes kill at least seven people; al-Shabaab militants arrest and lash over 200 Somali women for not veiling; over 13,000 Somali refugees transferred to new Kenyan camp.
Yemen: Germany warns Yaha al-Houthi against undertaking anti-government activities; Abdul Malik al-Houthi asserts possibility of northern secession; UNHCR convoy distributes humanitarian assistance to 2,000; Yemeni government asks Sa’ada province citizens to relocate to camps.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab controls areas of Mogadishu formerly under Hizb al-Islam; Sufi Islamist group Ahlu Sunna Waljama seizes explosive-filled vehicle in central Somalia; French repel pirate attack on tuna trawlers.
Yemen: Abdul Malik al-Houthi expressed readiness for national dialogue; Yemeni army attacks pockets of resistance near Sa’ada city; Germany announces humanitarian aid donation to Yemen; thirteen have died from swine flu as the number of cases rises to 921.
Horn of Africa: Kenyan police arrest American entering Somalia; al-Shabaab amputated hand and foot from convicted thieves in Kismayo; Hizb al-Islam attacked government outpost in Hiraan; Mogadishu’s port closed five consecutive days due to dispute; France to train additional 3,000 Somali soldiers.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels attacked Sa'ada city and shelled the town of Harf Sufyan; Yemeni authorities increase security to prevent entry of Somali jihadists; U.S. acknowledges possible Iranian involvement with the al-Houthi rebels and says there is no place for outsiders in the conflict.
Horn of Africa: A senior member of Hizb al-Islam was gunned down in Mogadishu; Somali police warn against future attacks on peacekeepers; Puntland condemns Ethiopian raid into Galkayo; Somali Prime Minister meets with the UN official to discuss reopening of UN offices in Mogadishu and AU troops.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels claim control over northern-most district of the Sa’ada governorate; Egypt authorized by Arab League to assist Yemen; Yemen’s Parliament calls for end to insurgency.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam fighters set up new base in Elgal village, previously occupied by government troops; agreement reached by al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam over Kismayo; Medina hospital in Mogadishu receives threats from Islamists; Russia agrees to help France train Somali soldiers in Djibouti.
Yemen: Yemeni army kills forty-one al-Houthi rebels and destroys five trucks carrying explosives; Riyadh expresses concern over al-Qaeda's presence in Yemen; al-Houthi's son participates in blood donation drive to help soldiers fighting the al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab announces agreement with Hizb al-Islam to end dispute; Uganda mistakenly arrests Somali official; Hizb al-Islam announces capture of foreign fighters; Somali pirates mistakenly attacked French flagship.
Yemen: Local mediation efforts between the government and al-Houthi rebels may be underway; Southern Movement supporters demonstrate in southern provinces during talks between Arab League and Yemeni government; a large explosion went off in Abyan province near military brigade; second Yemeni fighter plane down in north; Yemeni authorities confiscate ammunitions.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam claims victory in southern towns outside of Kismayo; warplanes spotted flying low over Mogadishu; hijacked Spanish tuna trawler still in pirates’ custody; Somali president says solution to country’s problems “easy.”
Yemen: Police arrest al-Houthi rebels in western province of Hodeida; five injured in southern Yemen during protests and al-Houthi rebels release video of downed plane; head mediator between the government and al-Houthi rebels on top of government weapons dealers blacklist; President Saleh met with Admiral William McRaven to discuss partnership against al-Qaeda.
Horn of Africa: Clashes broke out between al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam in southern Somalia; in Mogadishu, al-Shabaab imposes strict rules; a member of Hizb al-Islam’s administration was assassinated in Beledweyn; FBI warns that al-Shabaab may attack U.S.; the EU suspended delivery of funds to AU.
Yemen: Yemeni military denies al-Houthi claims of shooting down MiG 21; the government arrested 24 al-Houthi rebels, including one from Yemen’s most wanted list; two men arrested in connection with failed assassination attempt in south; Civil Defense delegation to attend a disaster management symposium in Riyadh.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam imposes curfew in Beledweyn; Puntland bans broadcast of the VOA Somalia Service; the U.S. withholds aid from Somalia following concerns that aid is funneled to al-Shabaab; President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appealed for increased support from the U.S. during first visit to Washington, DC.
Yemen: Southern Movement leader Tariq al-Fadhli has been accused by the government of involvement in an assassination attempt; nineteen injured and one killed in clashes in al-Dhale in southern Yemen; Ministry of Defense reports twenty-eight al-Houthi rebels killed, eleven arrested in north; Somali refugees continue to arrive in Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Fighting between Hizb al-Islam and al-Shabaab has broken out in Kismayo; two beheaded bodies found in Mogadishu; Uganda appeals for change in AMISOM mandate; agreement signed in Somaliland to end election crisis; Ahmed Ould-Abdallah, UN Special Envoy for Somalia, publishes open letter to diaspora.
Yemen: Al-Qaeda’s Yemeni wing looks for financial support in Saudi Arabia; two wanted Saudi militants killed in fighting in the north; southern clashes in al-Dale and Lahj provinces leave nineteen injured; Saudi Arabia gives $2 million in humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Residents of Kismayo flee impending violence after al-Shabaab declares war on Hizb al-Islam; government troops withdraw from recently re-occupied Beledweyne; military spokesman asserts that AU peacekeeping forces are not behind the shelling of Mogadishu bazaar; IDP’s protest closure of WFP feeding centers in Bosaso.
Yemen: The Yemeni military continues to attack al-Houthi rebel positions in the north; fighting between southern separatists and security forces continues in Abyan province; Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Muthana appealed for increased assistance from the international community for Somali refugees; trial of Somali pirates opened in Yemen.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam and al-Shabaab continue to argue over the administration of Kismayo and move troops into the city; the OIC appealed to the UN Security Council for a UN peacekeeping presence in Somalia and the closure of Somalia’s seaports; Germany will back France’s efforts to train Somali soldiers in Djibouti; shelling in Mogadishu kills at least eleven people and injures over thirty more.
Yemen: Security forces clash with southern separatists in Abyan province; Abdul Malik al-Houthi releases statement vowing to continue the fight; seven Somalis arrested for fighting in support of al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab publicly executes two men accused of spying in Mogadishu; government troops regain control over Beledweyne; President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed blamed foreign extremists for the rebellion at the UN General Assembly; the FBI is investigating whether an American was one of the suicide bombers in the attack against the AU base.
Yemen: Over seventy people have died in Sa’ada city during intense fighting; a military source reports offensive gains by Yemeni army against al-Houthi rebels; UNHCR approves of Yemeni report on human rights.
Horn of Africa: Somali, Ugandan, and Burundi officials meet to discuss AU peacekeeping mission; fighting erupts between government forces and Hizb al-Islam fighters in Mogadishu; UNHCR report reviews plight of Somalis; Somali pirates attack ship near Mogadishu harbor.
Yemen: Officials announce capture of two al-Houthi rebel leaders and rebels release video of captured Yemeni soldiers; the United States calls for ceasefire and pledges additional $3 million in humanitarian assistance; the World Food Program releases report saying that one in three Yemenis face extreme hunger; Yemeni press members protest most recent arrest of a journalist.
Horn of Africa: Hizb al-Islam denounces creation of new administration in Kismayo appointed by al-Shabaab; al-Shabaab and Hizb al-Islam disagree over administration of Gedo region; governor of Beledweyne announces that he is joining Hizb al-Islam; al-Shabaab militants execute Christians under Shari’a law.
Yemen: Local source reports mutiny within al-Houthi ranks; 50 al-Houthi rebels killed during attacks in Almalaheez and Manbeh; supplies in refugee camps in Sa’ada region running out; Yemeni police seize large quantities of fuel destined for al-Houthi rebels.
Horn of Africa: Ugandan president calls for U.S. support of AMISOM troops; fighting between government and AU soldiers and Islamist rebels in Mogadishu kills at least ten civilians; Somali government declares presence of Eritrean officers in key southern coastal town of Kismayo; Kenya increases security forces along Somali border; UN envoy requests creation of high-security green zone in Mogadishu.
Yemen: Al-Houthi rebels ask for independently monitored ceasefire; government forces kill 13 al-Houthi rebels outside of Aal Oqab in Sa’ada; UN Refugee Agency appeals for aid corridor; Yemeni Minister of Human Rights will participate in 12th session of the Human Rights Council.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab proclaims allegiance to bin Laden in video; U.S. reiterates support for the AU mission in Somalia; Ethiopian ONLF denies any cooperation with al-Shabaab; al-Shabaab establishes new administrative system with cooperation of clan elders in Middle Shabelle region.
Yemen: The Eid al-Fitr ceasefire between the al-Houthi rebels and the government ended with a coordinated rebel attack on the presidential palace in Sa’ada; Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs Rashad al-Alimi discussed the logistics of aid distribution; report says nearly one-third of the population is below the poverty line; spread of swine flu causes health concern; 160 Ethiopians to be deported from Taiz governorate.
Horn of Africa: Al-Shabaab attacked the border town of