Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 3, 2009

Yemen: Suspected al-Qaeda militants kill seven Yemeni security officials near Saudi border in ambush; Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi briefed U.S. and EU ambassadors on government actions to end al-Houthi conflict; Education Ministry closes three schools due to H1N1 virus; Islah condemns attack on spokesman of the Joint Meeting Parties

Horn of Africa: Plane hijacked in Puntland; landmine in Beledweyne kills at least six; al-Shabaab prohibits UN World Food Program from distributing foodstuffs marked with American flag; Somali legislators call for reopening of Parliament; main port of Mogadishu closed

Yemen Security Brief

• Suspected al-Qaeda militants ambushed Yemeni security officials near the Saudi border, killing seven, three of whom were senior officers.  The security officials were coming from a visit to a Yemeni border post.[1]

• Abu Bakr al-Qirbi, Yemen’s Foreign Minister, briefed U.S. and EU ambassadors on government efforts to end the northern al-Houthi rebellion.  Al-Qirbi noted repeated attempts by the government to reach a ceasefire and the government’s attempts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to displaced people.[2]

• The Education Ministry closed three additional schools following the detection of new swine flu cases in Baidha’a province in central Yemen.  The start of the Yemeni school year had been delayed twice and seven schools were closed in mid-October as a preventative measure against the spread of the H1N1 virus.[3]

• Al Islah, the main Yemeni opposition party, condemned the attack on the spokesman of the Joint Meeting Parties, Naif al-Qanis, who was severely beaten on Sunday in Sana’a.  In addition, the Popular Movement for Justice and Change in Taiz governorate denounced the attack and repeated attacks against political figures and journalists.[4]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• A plane headed for Djibouti from Bossaso, which is in the semiautonomous region of Puntland, was hijacked by two armed men.  It turned back to Bossaso halfway through the flight and Somali security forces arrested the two men following a gun fight when the plane landed.  In addition, several airport employees have been arrested who were responsible for searching the passengers.[5]

• A landmine explosion in the center of Beledweyne, the capital of Hiraan, killed at least six people.  Reports say that the blast, which occurred Sunday night, targeted Hizb al-Islam officials.  Yussuf Ahmed Hagar, a government force commander, claimed that the town had been recaptured, but Hizb al-Islam spokesman Sheikh Mohamed Osman Arus said he still had forces stationed in the west side of town.[6]

• Al-Shabaab has banned the UN World Food Program from distributing any goods labeled with the U.S. flag.  Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali Abu Mansur alleged that by supplying food during harvest time purposefully undermines Somali farmers.  The WFP is one of the few international aid agencies permitted to operate in al-Shabaab-controlled regions.[7]

• Over sixty Somali lawmakers called for Parliamentary Speaker Sheikh Adan Madobe to reopen Parliament, which has been in recess since the beginning of summer.  The legislators accused him of blocking their salaries for four months.  Parliament relocated to Djibouti earlier in the year due to security concerns.[8]

• In the main port in Mogadishu, new rules requiring all imports to go through security checks have angered the business community, temporarily bringing trade to a halt.  Traders fear that goods that have to wait to be inspected will be destroyed by Islamists or the weather.  Treasury Minister Abdirahman Omar Osman said that the goods would be put into warehouses for safekeeping, but that the businessmen need to pay the “proper taxes.”[9]