Yemen: Twenty-five al Houthi rebels surrender in Sa’ada; rioting in Lahij province injures another three people; UNHCR report details deteriorating IDP situation
Horn of Africa: Ahlu Sunna wal al Jama’a official reports agreement signed with the Transitional Federal Government; clashes in Mogadishu kill seven; twelve tons of munitions destroyed in Galkayo; Ethiopian Ogaden National Liberation Front continues fight against the Ethiopian government
Yemen Security Review
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Twenty-five al Houthi rebels surrendered to government forces in Sa’ada city as clearance operations in the city continue. The First Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, Mohammed al Qosi, reported that a number of civilians have been evacuated from the city for their safety.[1]
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Rioting in Hawta, the capital of Lahij province, continues and has injured three more people. Separatists have burned three stores, blockaded the highway, and have fired on people. Security forces have arrested around forty individuals.[2]
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The UNHCR reports that civilians continue to flee their homes and that refugee camps are already beyond capacity. Newly arrived internally displaced people report clashes in Haydan, Beni Muath, Eel Ammar and al Taleh areas.[3]
Horn of Africa Security Review
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Sheikh Abdiwali Sheikh Mohamed, an official from Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a, told reporters that he had met with the Somali Interior Minister, Sheikh Abdulkadir Ali Omar, in Mogadishu and had signed an agreement. Sheikh Abdiwali added that “the administration of Ahlu Sunna Waljama’a in central Somalia supports the Somali government.”[4]
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Clashes between government forces and Islamists have killed at least seven people and injured over eleven others – primarily combatants. The fighting began in the Abdi Aziz district of Mogadishu when Hizb al Islam militants fired a missile at a government troop’s vehicle. A spokesman for Hizb al Islam, Sheikh Mohammed Osman Arus, claimed that four soldiers were killed; however, this has not been verified by the government.[5]
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About twelve tons of surplus munitions ranging from 7.62 mm rounds to BM-21 rockets, including white phosphorous projectiles, have been destroyed in Galkayo by the Puntland Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, which was trained by the Mines Advisory Group (MAG). MAG trained a unit in Garowe earlier in the year and now advises the team as it carries out operations throughout Puntland.[6]
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Ethiopia’s Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) claims to have seized seven villages in the oil-rich region of Ogaden; however, locals report that ONLF is only in control of one village. The rebels have repeatedly warned oil companies to stay away from the region, saying that the people are seeking to have their mineral wealth developed, but not in order to enrich the regime. The group has also denied accusations that it supports al Shabaab in Somalia.[7]