Gulf of Aden Security Review - November 27, 2012

Yemen: PRC member shot dead by fellow member in Abyan governorate; Saudi border guards kill Yemeni civilian; Yemeni government offers the Southern Movement half of the seats at the National Dialogue; two National Dialogue Preparatory Committee members withdraw in protest; security forces arrest 16 criminals in Taiz governorate; kidnapped team from the Social Fund for Development are released in al Jawf governorate; Yemeni deputy foreign minister meets with Iranian ambassador to Yemen; Yemeni government approves use of helicopters against individuals blocking roads

Horn of Africa: SNA and AMISOM forces fight al Shabaab in Janale town, Lower Shabelle; al Shabaab raids SNA checkpoint outside Kismayo; newly inaugurated Hiraan regional elder leader is killed in Beledweyne, Hiraan province; Somali and Ahlu Sunna troops capture 13 al Shabaab suspects in Garbaharey, Gedo region; Somali security forces capture several al Shabaab militants in Banadir region; residents In Lughaye, Awdal region are fired at during a protest; President Mohamud arrives in Djibouti, starts tour of IGAD countries; Committee to Protect Journalists is calling for the release of a BBC Somali journalist incarcerated in Mogadishu

Yemen Security Brief

• A Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) member was killed in Lawder district of Abyan governorate on November 27. The PRC member, identified as Faisal Maqre’a al Nashet, was shot dead by another unidentified PRC member. The unidentified PRC assailant was able to flee the scene following the shooting. PRC forces are currently pursuing the assailant.[1]

• A local al Houthi news source reported on November 26 that a Yemeni citizen was killed by Saudi border guards. The Yemeni, identified as Ahmad Saleh Qassim al Abadi, was killed attempting to enter Saudi Arabia in search of employment. Abadi was reportedly from Haydan district of Sa’ada governorate.[2]

• The Yemeni government has offered Southern Movement leaders at least half of the available seats in the upcoming Yemeni National Dialogue. According to Sultan Hezam al Atawani, the deputy chairman of the committee tasked with organizing the Yemeni National Dialogue, the Yemeni government is attempting to convince southerners to participate in the National Dialogue by offering more seats. Southern Movement leaders have repeatedly stated that they will boycott the National Dialogue. Sultan Hezam al Atawani added that a final date has not yet been set for the National Dialogue.[3]

• Local sources reported on November 25 that two members of the Yemeni Technical Committee dropped out of the committee in protest. The two members, identified as Majed al Mathhaji and Radiyya al Mutawakkel, left the committee in protest of what they called “the lack of discussing representation in the National Dialogue.”[4]

• Yemeni security forces arrested at least 16 criminals in Taiz governorate on November 26. Local sources reported that security forces also seized at least ten automatic rifles from the criminals.[5]

• A team from the Social Fund for Development was released from their kidnappers in al Jawf governorate on November 26. Local sources reported that the team was kidnapped by members of the al Olhan tribe in the Khab wa al Sha’af district in al Jawf governorate.[6]

• Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Muthana Hassan met with Iranian Ambassador to Yemen Mahmoud Ali Zadeh in Sana’a on November 26. Both sides discussed ways of improving bilateral relations.[7]

• The Yemeni government approved the usage of helicopters to track individuals who block roads in Yemen on November 26. Local sources reported that helicopters will be used to pursue individuals who attempt to block main roads between governorates.[8]

Horn of Africa Security Brief

• Somali National Army (SNA) and AMISOM forces battled al Shabaab militants in Janale town, Lower Shabelle region on November 27. Three people have been reported dead and dozens more are injured. Transportation in the area has been affected and many civilians are fleeing their homes.[9]

•  Al Shabaab fighters attacked a SNA checkpoint outside Kismayo on November 26. Exact casualties from the incident are not known, but SNA officials say they killed several al Shabaab militants.[10]

• The leader of the Hiraan regional elders was killed just one day after his inauguration in Beledweyne, Hiraan region on November 27. Sheikh Mohamud Sheikh Hussein was killed by three gunmen shortly after assuming power. One of the shooters has been caught but the other two were able to flee the scene.[11]

• Somali government and Ahlu Sunna wa al Jama’a forces arrested 13 suspected al Shabaab militants in Garbaharey, Gedo region on November 27. Seven of the detainees are known members of al Shabaab and police are investigating the remaining six.[12]

• Somali security forces carried out searches in the Yaqshid and Heliwa districts of the Banadir region on November 26. Several al Shabaab suspects were taken into custody, many of whom were women.[13]

• Residents in Lughaye, Awdal region on November 27, protested the lack of ballot boxes for the upcoming election. When demonstrators stormed the police station where the ballot boxes were held, police fired real bullets to disperse the crowd, killing one civilian and injuring another two.[14]

• Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrived in Djibouti on November 26, kicking off his tour of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development states. President Mohamud will visit with the presidents of Kenya and Ethiopia in the coming days.[15]

• A Somali journalist working for the BBC Somali service was arrested on November 21 in Mogadishu. Ibrahim Mohamed Adan was arrested for reporting the Somali military killed his cousin, a soldier. The Somali military demanded Adan provide proof for the report, and when he did not, he was taken into custody. The Committee to Protect Journalists is now calling for his release a week later.[16]