Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 29, 2011

Yemen: Yemeni prime ministers calls for new cabinet to be formed; Yemeni vice president meets foreign diplomats in Sana’a

Horn of Africa: Two bombs kill four people in Mogadishu; clan militias fight in Galkayo; UN-sponsored conference ends in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief 

• Yemen’s interim Prime Minister Mohammed Salam Basendwah called for a new cabinet to be formed in Yemen within “days.”  Basendwah stated that making fuel, gas, and electricity available to the population is among Yemen’s national priorities. He also said that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to provide immediate support to Yemen in the “electricity and oil sectors.” Additionally, Basendwah asked Gulf states to present development plans for the cities of Taiz, Aden, al Mukalla, and Hudaydah.[1]

• Yemeni Vice President Abdul Rab Mansour al Hadi met with ambassadors of the permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council and the Gulf states that backed the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative and European Union (EU) ambassador to Yemen in Sana’a on Monday. Hadi said that all foreign ambassadors to Yemen, especially those from the GCC, are partners in implementing the GCC initiative and cited Yemen’s economic problems as the primary catalyst for the current political crisis and security concerns facing Yemen. The U.S. ambassador to Yemen, Gerald Feierstein, said that the signing and implementation of the GCC initiative ‘’will really end Yemen’s grinding crisis.” He also reaffirmed U.S. support for implementing the initiative.[2]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Two roadside bombs exploded in Mogadishu, killing four people and wounding at least seven. The first explosion occurred at Ex-Mohamud Harb Secondary School in Wardhigley district, killing three children and wounding five others. The second explosion hit a Transitional Federal Government (TFG) military vehicle in Hodan district killing a civilian and wounding two others.[3]

• Two clan militias fought in north Galkayo in Mudug region. Two people were killed and three others injured. Locals report that the fighting was sparked by long-standing clan rivalries.[4]

• A three-day conference in Mogadishu hosted by the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and attended by representatives from the TFG, Puntland, Galmudug, Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a, and other interest groups ended on November 28. Recommendations included increased financial support for security programs, implementing the timeframe for the roadmap to ending the transition, and establishing a reconciliation committee. TFG President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed appealed to the international community for support in stabilizing Somalia. He applauded the East African bloc of the Intergovernmental Agency for Development (IGAD) for its encouragement of Ethiopia to support the offensive against al Shabaab and commented on both the success in pushing al Shabaab out of Mogadishu and the continued financial problems experienced by the TFG.[5]