Gulf of Aden Security Review - September 25, 2009

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 Security Brief

• Over seventy people have died in Sa’ada city following the eruption of violent clashes between government troops and al Houthi rebels. Yemeni warplanes and army helicopters opened fire on rebel position near Samaa, in the southern suburbs of Sa’ada. On Thursday, twenty-one al Houthi rebels and four soldiers, including a colonel, were killed in Harf Sufyan. Witnesses report that another twenty-three al Houthi rebels were killed in Damaj, to the southeast of Sa’ada, and that two al Houthi leaders, Farhan Maqit and Hassan Thawrat, died in an air raid in Baqem. Thawrat may have been involved in the attempts to broker a ceasefire between the fighters and the government.[1]

• A military source reported that government forces and security troops are continuing their offensive against the rebels and that they have faced repeated attacks by the rebels in Shabariq, al Iqab, al Sama, Ayn Valley and along the road between Sa’ada and Ayn. The source added that army units have destroyed hideouts in the Kabshein heights and have pushed back the rebels from Ghalfaqan, al Albaaran, Sudan, and al Anad. In al Malahidh, government forces confirm that the rebels have suffered heavy losses in men and equipment. Fighting also continues in Harf Sufyan and along al Jawf road, in addition to other rebel positions.[2]

• The UN Human Rights Council approved Yemen’s national comprehensive report that included the country’s commitment to all voluntary pledges and recommendations from the council. The Yemeni Minister of Human Rights, Huda al Ban, has asked the international community for assistance with all technical support required to promote human rights within Yemen.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• The defense ministers and military chiefs of staff from Uganda, Burundi, and Somalia met to discuss the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia. The insurgents in Somalia have called for additional attacks on AU troops following last Thursday’s suicide blasts. There are 5,000 soldiers – all from Uganda and Burundi – in the AU peacekeeping force in Somalia, which is below the approved level of 8,000. Both contributing countries as well as the AU have made calls to extend the peacekeeping force’s mandate.[4]

• Heavy fighting in Mogadishu between government forces supported by AMISOM and Hizb al Islam fighters killed at least five civilians and wounded ten others. The fighting began on Makka al Mukarama Street, a key connector between the presidential palace and a large AU base. The civilian casualties were primarily a result of mortar shells landing in their neighborhoods.[5]

• The UNHCR reported that over 50,000 Somalis have fled to Kenya since the start of the year, overwhelming the capabilities of the camps in Dadaab in northern Kenya. The camps are home to three times the number of people they were designed to host despite the relocation of refugees to Kakuma camp in northwest Kenya. Over half a million Somalis are now living in makeshift camps in the Afgooye corridor, about 30 km west of Mogadishu. Current UN estimates say that 3.8 million Somalis are in need of humanitarian assistance.[6]

• Somali pirates boarded a Panama-flagged ship headed for Mogadishu harbor. AU peacekeepers and Somali security forces rescued the captured ship, but not before three of its crew members were injured by the pirates. The pirates have generally raided ships farther north, and never so close to the capital. The port is essential to bringing food aid and military supplies into Mogadishu.[7]