Gulf of Aden Security Review - September 28, 2009

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 Security Brief

• Fighting broke out between government forces and southern separatists.� Witnesses report shelling and gunfire in Zinjabar in Abyan province, near the house of a relative of Tareq al-Fadhli.� Al-Fadhli is one of the leaders of the "Southern Movement".� Earlier this month, the former leader of the south Yemeni republic, Ali Salem al-Beidh, addressed separatists at a rally by telephone declaring solidarity with the northern rebels.� Al-Beidh is currently living in exile in Germany.[1]

• Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the al-Houthi rebels, vowed to continue his fight in his first video statement since the most recent round of fighting began five weeks ago.� He said that the authorities have wrongly accused his group of receiving foreign support, especially from Iran, and that the government's accusations are designed to draw Saudi Arabia into the fight.� According to al-Houthi, the current attacks against his group are an example of government aggression and marginalization.[2]

• Seven Somalis were arrested in the al-Magza'a area in Harf Sufyan in Amran along with twenty al-Houthi followers.� There are reports that Somalis are fighting in support of the insurgents in Sa'ada and Amran provinces and teaching them guerrilla warfare.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al-Shabaab militants executed two men accused of spying for the CIA and the African Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.� A firing squad of ten militants carried out the execution in the middle of the capital's main livestock market in front of a large crowd.[4]

• Somali forces have regained control over the town of Beledweyne, which is the capital of the Hiraan region in central Somalia.� Last week, the governor of Beledweyne, Sheikh Abdirahman Ibrahim Ma'ow, announced his support for Hizb al-Islam.� Unconfirmed reports place Ethiopian troops on the outskirts of the town in support of the government troops.[5]

• The president of Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, told the UN General Assembly that the most recent surge in violence in his country was due to the presence of foreign militants in Somalia.� He said that the rebellion was led by foreign extremists and went against Islam.� He warned that without "prompt and decisive steps," the conflict could lead to the further destabilization of the region.[6]

• The FBI is investing whether an American participated in the suicide bombing of the AU base in Somalia.� Agents visited the home of Mohamed Mohamud to investigate whether Omar, Mohamud's 18-year-old son, was involved.� The only other known American suicide bomber in Somalia was involved in a coordinated attack in October 2008 in Somaliland that killed 21 people.[7]

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