Gulf of Aden Security Review - June 22, 2011

Yemen: Over 60 prisoners escaped prison in Mukalla, 57 were suspected al Qaeda militants; two civilians injured in clash between tribesman and Republican Guard in Taiz; thousands of protestors demand transfer of power in Sana’a

Horn of Africa: Al Shabaab releases video on AMISOM’s failures; al Shabaab calls Kampala Accord government failure; Puntland’s Interior Minister accuses al Shabaab of disturbing peace, closes off roads in Sanaag to business trucks; a roadside bomb killed four civilians in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• Over 60 prisoners escaped from a prison in the southern city of Mukalla in Hadramawt governorate through an underground tunnel. Gunmen attacked the prison from the outside as the prisoners were escaping. Of the escapees, 57 were suspected al Qaeda militants, twelve of whom reportedly belonged to al Qaeda’s Tarim cell. The escapees allegedly attacked guards with daggers and stole their guns. One guard was shot to death.[1]

• The Yemen Post reported that two civilians were injured in a clash between tribesmen and Republican Guards in Taiz.[2]

• Tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Sana’a to demand the establishment of a transitional council. Youth-led protestors also demanded to be part of the transfer power.[3]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Al Shabaab released a video called “AMISOM and the Inevitable End” on jihadist forums on June 17. The first part of the two-part video highlights the failures of AMISOM forces and the invasion of Ethiopian, Burundian, and Ugandan troops against al Shabaab. The film, dedicated to Osama bin Laden, also portrays the present situation in Somalia as a result of a U.S.-led “crusade” against Islam.[4]

• Al Shabaab’s head of politics and relations Sheikh Hussein Ali Fidow stated that the Kampala Accord was a government failure and an example of how Uganda is controlling the Transitional Federal Government (TFG). He also warned Uganda and Burundi to withdraw troops from Somali or face the consequences.[5]

• Puntland’s Interior Minister General Abdullahi Axmed Jama accused al Shabaab of disturbing the peace and stability of the region. Jama made the decision to close roads in Sanaag region to business trucks in an effort to keep al Shabaab militants out of the Galgala area.[6]

• A roadside bomb intended for an AMISOM convoy detonated near a civilian mini bus killing four civilians and injuring others in Mogadishu. Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.[7]