Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 22, 2010

Yemen: Al Houthi leader threatens new war against government; army officer and 3 soldiers killed in clashes with tribesmen; blast kills 3 in makeshift explosives factory; security forces arrest editor-in-chief of Aden newspaper

Horn of Africa: Rival militant groups clash in Mogadishu, 10 killed; Hizb al Islam leader Aweys seeking political asylum outside Somalia; Swedish police nab man suspected of plotting attack in Somalia; Ethiopia election board certifies landslide victory for ruling party; Puntland police conduct security operation in Garowe; magazine names Somalia ‘most failed state’ for third consecutive year

Yemen Security Brief

• Al Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi threatened to break the ceasefire currently in place with the government, claiming President Saleh has failed to fulfill his side of the agreement, according to a statement posted on the website of the al Houthi rebels.  He cited recent arrests of al Houthi rebels as one of the reasons the group may renew its campaign against the government.[1]

• An army officer and three soldiers were killed this week in continuing clashes between security forces and al Houthi sympathizers in the al Ashah district of Amran province. In Rida district of Amran, an explosion in a makeshift bomb factory killed three people and wounded one.  The blast occurred at the residence of a suspect wanted for making home-made explosives.[2]

• Aden-based security forces seized Basim al Mahadari, editor-in-chief of the Akhbar Aden newspaper, on Monday.  The paper condemned the detention as an “illegal arrest.”[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Clashes between Hizb al Islam and al Shabaab militants killed 10 people and wounded 20 others in Mogadishu Tuesday. The rival groups were arguing over a strategic military post in the city’s Yaqshid district when fighting erupting. Garowe also reports that Hizb al Islam leader Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys is surrounded by al Shabaab forces on the outskirts of Mogadishu.[4]

• Sources close to Aweys say he is seeking political asylum in another country since Hizb al Islam is on the verge of collapse.[5]

• Swedish police arrested a second Swedish citizen suspected of plotting a terrorist attack in Somalia. Security officials have linked the man to an investigation concerning another suspect they arrested last month.[6]

• Ethiopia’s election board confirmed the results of last month’s landslide victory by the ruling party in national elections. Both the opposition party and international observers have questioned the credibility of the results.[7]

• Puntland police forces conducted nighttime security operations in Garowe, targeting persons responsible for creating “instability” in the town.[8]

• Somalia ranked first for a third consecutive year in the Fund for Peace and Foreign Policy Magazine’s “Failed States Index.” The magazine determines grades using various economic, security, and human rights factors.[9]