Gulf of Aden Security Review - May 10, 2011

Yemen: One protestor dies of injuries; at least nineteen protestors injured in Hudaydah, Dhamar

Horn of Africa: Somaliland foreign minister warns of al Shabaab reprisal attacks; Kenyan counter-terrorism forces arrest five people with alleged ties to al Shabaab; Ethiopian security forces arrest former Somali warlord; TFG interior ministry bars 35 parliamentarians from flying to Nairobi; Djibouti president re-elected for third term

Yemen Security Brief

• Doctors reported that one person in Taiz died overnight of injuries sustained in protest violence on May 9. Witnesses reported that at least eighty protestors were injured in Taiz on May 9 when armored vehicles joined security forces to disperse protestors.[1]

• At least seven protestors were injured by gunfire in al Hudaydah city when Republican Guard forces fired on demonstrators on May 9. Witnesses report that at least 12 demonstrators were injured in Dhamar city when security forces opened fire on protestors.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somaliland's foreign minister, Mohammed Abdullahi Omar, warned that al Shabaab may choose targets in Somaliland to exact revenge for Osama bin Laden's death. Omar urged the international community to support Somaliland against terrorism: "We are calling for the African Union and the international community to help the democratic administration of Somaliland to assure its internal security."[3]

• Kenyan counter-terrorism forces arrested five people with alleged ties to al Shabaab. Security officials report that the detainees took part in an al Shabaab training camp and added that they were carrying bomb-making materiel.[4]

• Ethiopian security forces arrested Colonel Barre Shire, also known as Barre Hirale, in Dolow in the Gedo region. Shire is a former Somali warlord and currently commands Transitional Federal Government (TFG) troops; Shire is also listed as a minister of parliament, although he has never attended a session of parliament.[5]

• The TFG Ministry of the Interior prohibited 35 parliamentarians from flying to Nairobi. Local police stopped them before they could board their African Airways flight. This comes in the wake of a political disagreement between the TFG and the Transitional Federal Parliament over postponing presidential elections.[6]

• Djibouti presidential incumbent Ismael Omar Guelle was sworn in for his third five-year term. Opposition parties boycotted the April election.[7]