Gulf of Aden Security Review - October 12, 2009

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 Security Brief

• Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the al-Houthi rebels, expressed his readiness for dialogue with the Yemeni government and has welcomed a draft version of the reconciliation efforts proposed by opposition leaders.� Parliament has already established a Dialogue-Preparation Committee, and Mohammad al-Sabri, a senior opposition leader, has stated that the dialogue would put an end to foreign intervention in Sa'ada.[1]

• The Yemeni army claims to have removed pockets of resistance near Sa'ada City, killing 59 fighters.� The army also reports that seven teachers were kidnapped from Aal-Waqis in Saqain district and their location is now unknown.[2]

• Germany announced a donation of $2.2 million for Yemen to be given directly to international humanitarian aid agencies.[3]

• The Ministry of Health reports that thirteen people have died from swine flu to date.� There are 921 known cases within the country, 55 of which are still under treatment.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Kenyan police arrested an American man attempting to enter Somalia.� He was apprehended in Liboi, a Kenyan border town, reportedly headed towards al-Shabaab-controlled southern Somalia.� There are concerns that Somali youth living in Western nations are radicalizing and returning to fight in Somalia.[5]

• On Friday, al-Shabaab militants publicly amputated a hand and a foot from two young men accused of robbery in the central square of Kismayo.� A third under the same sentence lost only a foot when his hand was found to be disabled.� Residents report that al-Shabaab forced them to watch the execution of the sentences.[6]

• Hizb al-Islam militants attacked a government military outpost on Friday in Mataban district of Hiraan region.� The organization has already established a base at the El Gal military camp outside of Beledweyne.[7]

• The Mogadishu Port, the main port in Somalia, has been closed for five consecutive days as of Sunday due to a dispute between port authorities and businessmen.� Ordinarily, imported goods are stored in the warehouses of Baraka Market, but the government has ordered that they be stored on port grounds to prevent Islamists, who control Baraka Market, from controlling business profits.[8]

• France offered to train an additional 3,000 Somali security forces under the EU anti-piracy mission.� The training of additional troops is part of an effort to stabilize the country.[9]